Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · May 2013
A qualitative study: professionals' experiences of advance care planning in dementia and palliative care, 'a good idea in theory but ...'.
Advance care planning comprises discussions about an individual's wishes for future care while they have capacity. ⋯ This study has identified the professional, organisational and legal factors that influence advance care planning implementation; professional training should target these specific areas. There is an urgent need for standardisation of advance care planning documentation. Greater clarity is also required on the roles and responsibilities of different professional groups. More complex aspects of advance care planning may be better carried out by those with specialist skills and experience than by generalists caring for a wide range of patient groups with different disease trajectories.
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Palliative medicine · May 2013
Preferences for end-of-life care: a nominal group study of people with dementia and their family carers.
The wishes and preferences of people with dementia should inform decisions on future care. However, such decisions are often left to family carers and may not reflect those the person with dementia would have made for themselves. We know little about what influences agreement between people with dementia and their carers. ⋯ Wishes and preferences of people with dementia and their family carers may differ. To ensure the wishes of people with dementia are respected, their views should be ascertained early in the disease before their ability to consider the future is compromised.
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Palliative medicine · May 2013
To be involved or not to be involved: a survey of public preferences for self-involvement in decision-making involving mental capacity (competency) within Europe.
The Council of Europe has recommended that member states of European Union encourage their citizens to make decisions about their healthcare before they lose capacity to do so. However, it is unclear whether the public wants to make such decisions beforehand. ⋯ Self-involvement in decision-making is important to the European public. However, a large proportion of the public prefer to not make decisions about their care in advance of incapacity. Financial hardship, educational attainment, age, and preferences regarding quality and quantity of life require further examination; these factors should be considered in relation to policy.
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Palliative medicine · May 2013
Validation of the Polish version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care in patients with advanced cancer.
Limited data exist on the validation of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care in advanced cancer patients. ⋯ Polish version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care is a valid and reliable tool recommended for quality-of-life assessment and monitoring in advanced cancer patients.