Palliative medicine
-
Palliative medicine · Feb 2013
Review Meta AnalysisSocial-cultural factors in end-of-life care in Belgium: a scoping of the research literature.
As end-of-life (EoL) care expands across Europe and the world, service developments are increasingly studied. The sociocultural context in which such changes take place, however, is often neglected in research. ⋯ Various sociocultural factors influence the provision of EoL care in Belgium. This country provides a unique opportunity to witness how euthanasia is put into practice when legalized, in a context where palliative care is also highly developed and where many health care institutions have Catholic affiliation, providing an important example to others. Attention to how the sociocultural context affects EoL care adds to the current evidence base of service provision, which is essential in the further development of EoL care.
-
Palliative medicine · Feb 2013
Congruence between preferred and actual place of care and death among Danish cancer patients.
Meeting patient's preferences is an important outcome in palliative care. No Scandinavian study has reported systematically collected preferences from patients regarding place of care (POC) and place of death (POD). The extent of possible incongruence between patients' preferences and reality remains unknown. ⋯ Regular discussions with patients on this subject are needed. Social and professional support is of importance in meeting patients' preferences. Larger scaled studies and research focusing on meeting patients' preferences are needed.
-
Palliative medicine · Feb 2013
Understanding Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout: a survey of the hospice palliative care workforce.
Despite the increasingly crucial role of the healthcare workforce and volunteers working in hospice and palliative care (HPC), very little is known about factors that promote or limit the positive outcomes associated with practicing compassion. ⋯ Our results indicate a significant negative correlation between Compassion Satisfaction and Burnout (r = -0.531, p < 0.001) and between Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue (r = -0.208, p < 0.001), and a significant positive correlation between Burnout and Compassion Fatigue (r = 0.532, p < 0.001). Variations in self-reported levels of the above constructs were noted by key practice characteristics. Levels of all three constructs are significantly, but differentially, affected by type of service provided, principal institution, practice status and professional affiliation. Results indicate that health care systems could increase the prevalence of Compassion Satisfaction through both policy and institutional level programs to support HPC professionals in their jurisdictions.
-
Palliative medicine · Feb 2013
Resource utilization and cost analyses of home-based palliative care service provision: the Niagara West End-of-Life Shared-Care Project.
Increasing emphasis is being placed on the economics of health care service delivery - including home-based palliative care. ⋯ While higher than expenditures previously reported for a cancer-only population in an urban Ontario setting, the costs were still within the parameters of the US Medicare Hospice Benefits, on a par with the per diem funding assigned for long-term care homes and lower than both average alternate level of care and hospital costs within the Province of Ontario. The study results may assist service planners in the appropriate allocation of resources and service packaging to meet the complex needs of palliative care populations.
-
Palliative medicine · Feb 2013
Patient-perceived usefulness and practical obstacles of patient-held records for cancer patients in Japan: OPTIM study.
Although the use of a patient-held record (PHR) for cancer patients has been introduced in many settings, little is known about the role of the PHR in palliative care settings and use in Asian cultures. ⋯ The PHR can be helpful in facilitating communication, understanding medical conditions and treatments, and facilitating end-of-life care discussion; however, for wide-spread implementation, resolving the obstacles related to both patients and health-care professionals is required.