Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2016
Cross-cultural verification of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire in mainland China.
Simplified by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative Care (QLQ-C15-PAL) is specifically applied to evaluating palliative care patients' quality of life. ⋯ The Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire has high reliability and validity and is therefore suitable for clinical use in China to determine health-related quality of life in Chinese patients with advanced cancer.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2016
Observational StudyPast trends and projections of hospital deaths to inform the integration of palliative care in one of the most ageing countries in the world.
Monitoring where people die is key to ensure that palliative care is provided in a responsive and integrated way. ⋯ In one of the most ageing countries in the world, there is a long standing trend towards hospitalised dying, more pronounced among the oldest old. To meet people's preferences for dying at home, the development of integrated specialist home palliative care teams is needed.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2016
The impact of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on patients with advanced cancer and their family members: A qualitative study.
Little is known about the impact of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on patients with advanced cancer, such as its impact on the quality of life of this vulnerable group. To date, research on meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the palliative care setting has had a quantitative focus. ⋯ This article indicates that meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can have a significant impact on advanced cancer patients and their families. This impact may be underestimated, but early and careful face-to-face explanation about meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and its implications can help patients and their families to cope better with it. These findings should be considered when developing policy relating to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus management and infection control in specialist palliative care settings.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2016
Observational StudyMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Prevalence, incidence, risk factors, and effects on survival of patients in a specialist palliative care unit: A prospective observational study.
Little is known about the impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in palliative care settings. To date, the clinical impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in palliative care is unknown. ⋯ This study identified risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonisation in palliative care patients. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was eradicated in 8.1% of patients. Hence, restricting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening to high-risk palliative care patients may be prudent.