Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2016
ReviewDoctors discussing religion and spirituality: A systematic literature review.
Discussion of religion and/or spirituality in the medical consultation is desired by patients and known to be beneficial. However, it is infrequent. We aimed to identify why this is so. ⋯ This review found that physician enquiry into the religion and/or spirituality of patients is inconsistent in frequency and nature and that in order to meet patient needs, barriers to discussion need to be overcome.
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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
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.