Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2013
Early support visits by district nurses to cancer patients at home: a multi-perspective qualitative study.
Many palliative cancer patients spend much of their last year at home. In the UK, district nurses make frequent support visits to patients and carers at this time, yet surprisingly little is known about their supportive role in palliative care. Current studies are limited to district nurses' reports of practice, which offer limited insight into their content. Patients' and carers' views on district nurse support visits are largely unknown. ⋯ A multi-perspective approach provided new insights into district nurse support visits. Monitoring work described appears to have additional psycho-social benefits for patients and carers. The supportive role of district nurses needs to be clearly articulated and recognised so that colleagues, patients and carers access this valuable resource for palliative care patients.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2013
ReviewNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of cancer cachexia: a systematic review.
Cancer cachexia is a devastating syndrome of advanced malignancy which negatively impacts on patients' morbidity, mortality and quality of life. Chronic inflammation is a key characteristic of cancer cachexia. Therefore, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be able to break the cycle of cachexia. ⋯ Insufficient studies have been performed to allow a conclusion to be formed with regard to the effectiveness of NSAIDs in the treatment of cachexia in advanced cancer. Major challenges in this patient cohort include the lack of uniformity of inclusion criteria across studies and the frailty of the patients recruited.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2013
ReviewThe patient's use of metaphor within a palliative care setting: theory, function and efficacy. A narrative literature review.
The modes of communication which patients use are seen as important within the sphere of palliative care and have been the focus of much research. ⋯ The papers reviewed suggest that metaphoric communication allows sensitive subjects to be dealt with and provides benefits for patients. The results suggest that engaging with patients at the metaphoric level enables them to create new ways of viewing their situation and opens up the possibilities of new coping strategies. Finally, some developmental trajectories emanating from the reviewed papers are suggested, which will allow the efficacy of metaphor to be explored further within a palliative care setting.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial'It makes me feel that I'm still relevant': a qualitative study of the views of nursing home residents on dignity therapy and taking part in a phase II randomised controlled trial of a palliative care psychotherapy.
Trials of dignity therapy (a palliative care psychotherapy) have shown self-reported benefits for participants from taking part, although more so in intervention than control groups. However, the sources of these benefits are unknown. ⋯ Dignity therapy is likely to be beneficial to some care home residents, albeit the small minority who have the desire and the capacity to engage in such an intervention. Whether or not dignity therapy helps distressed residents, and the most effective way of screening for those who might benefit from it, need to be determined.