The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Aug 2020
Preventing Readmissions Through Effective Partnerships-Communication and Palliative Care (PREP-CPC): A Multisite Intervention for Encouraging Goals of Care Conversations for Hospitalized Patients Facing Serious Illness.
Despite evidence showing that goals of care (GOC) conversations increase the likelihood that patients facing a serious illness receive care that is concordant with their wishes, only a minority of at-risk patients receive the opportunity to engage in such conversations. ⋯ The PREP-CPC pilot successfully engaged a diverse set of hospitals to participate in quality improvement collaborative promoting primary palliative care and more frequent GOC conversations. This initiative revealed several lessons that should guide future interventions.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jul 2020
Use of the Core Bereavement Items in Adults Aged 50 and Older: A Psychometric Evaluation.
The Core Bereavement Items (CBI) is a commonly used measure that assesses core grief and bereavement experiences. Although previous psychometric testing has been conducted, no studies have assessed its use specifically aimed at adults aged 50 and older or for those who lost a loved one who was hospice care. This is critical, as losses and additional obstacles in bereavement compound throughout the aging process. ⋯ Further, content validity was established based on the judgment of subject matter experts. Exploratory factor analysis supported a 1-factor structure, with all items loading as General Grief Experiences. Based on this analysis, the CBI is a valid and reliable tool when used with adults aged 50 and older.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jun 2020
Association Between the Timing of Goals-of-Care Discussion and Hospitalization Outcomes in Patients With Metastatic Cancer.
Patients with cancer often require acute hospitalizations, many of which are unplanned. These hospitalizations have been shown to increase in frequency near the end of life. The American College of Physicians recommends that goals-of-care (GOC) discussions be initiated early for metastatic cancers. We hypothesized that discussing GOC during hospitalization could help reduce readmissions. Our aim was to examine the association between the timing of GOC discussion, length of hospital stay, and the time to readmission. ⋯ Among hospitalized patients with stage IV cancer, performing an early GOC discussion has an important association with lower hospital readmission rates and increased rates of goal-congruent patient care.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · May 2020
End-of-Life Communication Between Providers and Family Caregivers of Home Hospice Patients in a Rural US-Mexico Border Community: Caregivers' Retrospective Perspectives.
Family caregiver-provider communication is essential to making an effective hospice care transition for patients. Despite the importance of this topic, there is little information about how caregivers in rural US-Mexico border regions navigate hospice care transition and their needs. This study explores the family caregivers' experience relating to their end-of-life (EOL) communication and needs for hospice care transition. ⋯ Timely EOL communication between caregivers and the providers is key to the patient's optimal transition to hospice care. Providers need to be aware of the caregivers' informational needs relating to patient symptoms and health condition as well as hospice care. It is important to be aware of the impact of cultural values on hospice care placement. A clear explanation about the purpose and functions of hospice care and its benefit can better guide the family caregivers in making hospice care decisions.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · May 2020
Patterns of Religiosity, Death Anxiety, and Hope in a Population of Community-Dwelling Palliative Care Patients in New Zealand-What Gives Hope If Religion Can't?
This study examines the prevalence of religiosity, death anxiety, and hope in a sample of New Zealand community hospice patients in the last 6 months of life. It explores the factors triggering distress or hope and examines whether religiosity is protective against death anxiety for this population. Early studies showed religious faith helps relieve death anxiety, but later work suggests this may only be the case in societies which are generally religious. ⋯ Fear of being a burden and of causing family suffering were the most significant causes of distress. Systematic spiritual assessment for all patients, not just those with a declared religious faith, a biography service, and psychotherapy, may all have a role in managing death anxiety at the end of life. Further work with larger and more diverse populations would be needed to confirm these findings.