Journal of palliative medicine
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There are few studies where quality of life (QOL) and contributive factors are assessed in locked-in syndrome (LIS) patients with complete physical and functional disability and dependence on caregivers. ⋯ In our study, QOL in LIS patients was not significantly altered compared to control subjects in MQOL-SIS and in the MCS SF-36 scale; these results match previous studies published in the literature. Several factors may have an impact on QOL in LIS patients, such as family support and patient-computer communication devices; these may have contributed to improve QOL in LIS patients in this study.
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The query, "Isn't there anything more you can do?" represents a classic informational question with an emotional subtext. In our previous work we have emphasized the value of noticing the emotional cue implicit in this question, and responding with an empathic statement. Yet responding explicitly to patients' emotions is not the best initial communication strategy for all patients. In this paper we discuss four different opening communication strategies--verbalize empathy, exchange information, contain chaos, respect searching--for patients who ask, "Isn't there anything more you can do?"