The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Although sedation for existential distress has been actively discussed in the palliative care literature, empirical reports are limited. A retrospective cohort study was performed to clarify the physical conditions of terminally ill cancer patients who expressed existential distress and received sedation. Of 248 consecutive hospice inpatients, 20 patients expressed a belief that their lives were meaningless and received sedation. ⋯ The Palliative Prognostic Index was greater than 6.0 in all but one case with a mean of 12 +/- 3.3. In conclusion, in our practice, sedation was principally performed for physical symptoms of cancer patients in very late stages. Further research is encouraged to establish standard therapy for existential distress of the terminally ill.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Mar 2000
Elderly hospice cancer patients' descriptions of their pain experiences.
A qualitative research design was used to identify and describe the pain experience of elderly hospice patients with cancer. Eleven participants over the age of 65 receiving hospice services from a for-profit hospice in east Texas were interviewed in their homes. ⋯ Pain was described as a hierarchy of chronic, acute, and psychological pain, with psychological being the worst. Pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies were used to decrease their "physical" pain, but participants perceived that there was little they could do about their "psychological" pain.