Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · May 2021
Eliciting the educational needs and priorities of home care workers on end-of-life care for patients with heart failure using nominal group technique.
Home care workers, as paid caregivers, assist with many aspects of home-based heart failure care. However, most home care workers do not receive systematic training on end-of-life care for heart failure patients. ⋯ Our findings confirm the need for the formal development and evaluation of an educational program for home care workers to improve the care of heart failure patients at the end-of-life. There is also a need for research on integrating home care workers into the interprofessional healthcare team to support optimal health outcomes for patients with heart failure.
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Palliative medicine · May 2021
Compounded trauma: A qualitative study of the challenges for refugees living with advanced cancer.
Although palliative care is now an essential health service under Universal Health Coverage, ensuring access and appropriate care for refugees is a specific challenge for this large population. ⋯ This study reveals the impact of fractured families and networks on social support in advanced cancer, and the compounding trauma of the disease for refugees. Detailed person-centred assessment and emphasis on psychosocial support is essential, and home-based care should not presume community support for patients to remain at home.
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Palliative medicine · May 2021
Trends of concerns from diagnosis in patients with advanced lung cancer and their family caregivers: A 2-year longitudinal study.
Both advanced cancer patients and their family caregivers experience distress and have a range of concerns after cancer diagnosis. However, longitudinal studies on this topic have been lacking. ⋯ The majority of advanced lung cancer patients and their family caregivers have serious concerns from diagnosis, which is associated with their psychological distress. The spectrum of concerns alters over the disease trajectory, warranting efficient tailored care and support for both groups immediately after diagnosis.
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Palliative medicine · May 2021
Home palliative care professionals perception of challenges during the Covid-19 outbreak: A qualitative study.
Home palliative care services have played an essential role during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak by providing symptom control, drug procurement, and psychological support for frail patients and their families unable to leave their homes. ⋯ The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic brought many challenges and stressors for home palliative care professionals. On the other side, they reported a satisfaction with their critical role in carrying out their work with patients at risk.
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Palliative medicine · May 2021
End-of-life cost trajectories and the trade-off between treatment costs and life-extension: Findings from the Cost and Medical Care of Patients with Advanced Serious Illness (COMPASS) cohort study.
Few studies have assessed how patient preferences influence end-of-life costs. ⋯ On average, cancer patients in Singapore can expect to spend $61,680 in the last year of life. Of broader relevance is that patient preferences and other observable factors clearly influence these costs, suggesting that policymakers and patients can better predict and budget for end-of-life costs by considering these factors.