Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Feb 2022
Understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on delivery of rehabilitation in specialist palliative care services: An analysis of the CovPall-Rehab survey data.
Palliative rehabilitation involves multi-professional processes and interventions aimed at optimising patients' symptom self-management, independence and social participation throughout advanced illness. Rehabilitation services were highly disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic. ⋯ This study demonstrates how changes in provision of rehabilitation during the pandemic could act as a springboard for positive changes. Hybrid models of rehabilitation have the potential to expand the equity of access and reach of rehabilitation within specialist palliative care.
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Palliative medicine · Feb 2022
Meta AnalysisPrevalence of grief disorders in bereaved families of cancer patients: A meta-analysis.
Cancer caregiving is a distressing experience and loss of a loved one can lead to intense grief and other adverse effects. However, the prevalence of grief disorders among families associated with cancer-related deaths remains unknown. ⋯ As the prevalence of grief disorders in cancer-related bereavement is substantial, therefore, support including palliative care is important to reduce the burden of caregiving. In addition, future studies are needed to identify and explore effective strategies that can help reduce the burden caused by grief disorders after the death of the patient.
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Palliative medicine · Feb 2022
Interventions to support family caregivers of people with advanced dementia at the end of life in nursing homes: A mixed-methods systematic review.
Most people with dementia transition into nursing homes as their disease progresses. Their family caregivers often continue to be involved in their relative's care and experience high level of strain at the end of life. ⋯ The findings provide useful information on which interventions may benefit family caregivers of people with advanced dementia at the end of life and where, when, and how they should be provided.
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Palliative medicine · Feb 2022
Meta AnalysisRisk factors for delirium in adult patients receiving specialist palliative care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Delirium is common and distressing for patients receiving palliative care. Interventions targetting modifiable risk factors in other settings have been shown to prevent delirium. Research on delirium risk factors in palliative care can inform context-specific risk-reduction interventions. ⋯ Findings may usefully inform interventions to reduce delirium risk but more high quality prospective cohort studies are required to enable greater certainty about associations of different risk factors with delirium during specialist palliative care.
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Palliative medicine · Feb 2022
Multicenter Study'It was like an airbag, it cushioned the blow': A multi-site qualitative study of bereaved parents' experiences of using cooling facilities.
Evidence on the benefits to parents of spending time with their child in the hours after their death means this is now routine practice. UK children's hospices offer parents the opportunity to extend this period by using cooling facilities (i.e. cooled 'bedrooms'; cooling blankets/mattresses) to slow deterioration. ⋯ As well as easing the very early days of loss, use of cooling facilities may influence longer-term bereavement outcomes.