BMJ : British medical journal
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Review Meta Analysis
A systematic review of physicians' survival predictions in terminally ill cancer patients.
To systematically review the accuracy of physicians' clinical predictions of survival in terminally ill cancer patients. ⋯ Although clinicians consistently overestimate survival, their predictions are highly correlated with actual survival; the predictions have discriminatory ability even if they are miscalibrated. Clinicians caring for patients with terminal cancer need to be aware of their tendency to overestimate survival, as it may affect patients' prospects for achieving a good death. Accurate prognostication models incorporating clinical prediction of survival are needed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Novel consent process for research in dying patients unable to give consent.
To develop a process of advance consent to enable research to be undertaken in patients in the terminal phase. ⋯ Initial assessment suggests that this is a workable consent process allowing research to be undertaken in patients who are unable to give consent at the time of randomisation. Patient accrual rates to date are lower than needed to recruit adequate numbers in the time allotted to answer the research question.
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To assess how euthanasia in terminally ill cancer patients affects the grief response of bereaved family and friends. ⋯ The bereaved family and friends of cancer patients who died by euthanasia coped better with respect to grief symptoms and post-traumatic stress reactions than the bereaved of comparable cancer patients who died a natural death. These results should not be interpreted as a plea for euthanasia, but as a plea for the same level of care and openness in all patients who are terminally ill.
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To identify the palliative care needs of terminally ill people in Uganda. ⋯ A "good death" in a developing country occurs when the dying person is being cared for at home, is free from pain or other distressing symptoms, feels no stigma, is at peace, and has their basic needs met without feeling dependent on others.