Journal of palliative medicine
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Comparative Study
Comparing unmet needs between community-based palliative care patients with heart failure and patients with cancer.
As the role of palliative care (PC) has yet to be clearly defined in patients with heart failure (HF), such patients may face barriers regarding PC referral. In order to maximally meet the needs of HF patients, it is necessary to understand how they compare to the classic PC population: patients with cancer. ⋯ Patients with HF possess care needs that are squarely within the purview of PC. Future work is needed to delineate how PC referral policies should be refined to optimize PC access for patients with HF.
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Curricular changes to palliative care communication training are needed in order to accommodate a variety of learners, especially in lieu of the projected national shortage of hospice and palliative medicine physicians and nurses. ⋯ This study identifies the COMFORT communication curriculum as an effective online curricular tool to teach multiple disciplines specific palliative care communication.
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Comparative Study
Noncancer hospice care in taiwan: a nationwide dataset analysis from 2005 to 2010.
Abstract Background: The National Health Insurance program (NHI) in Taiwan has provided hospice services since 2000, and it was expanded to noncancer illnesses in September 2009. The issues of noncancer hospice care and the impact of the expanded hospice policy remain unclear. ⋯ The expanded palliative care policy has impacted positively on noncancer hospice care in Taiwan. The terminal noncancer patients had higher risks for short hospice stay, sepsis, nontraumatic shock, and respiratory and heart problems than the cancer subjects. Early referral to hospices is required for terminal patients in Taiwan. The CCI had a limited role for cost/severity evaluations of hospice care.
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Continuity outpatient palliative care practice is characterized by long relationships between patients, families, and palliative care clinicians and by periods of relative stability when the disease and resultant symptoms are less active. Compared to inpatient palliative care, outpatient practice requires a greater focus on encouraging healthy coping and on helping patients to live well with serious illness. This paper discusses the opportunities to promote adaptive coping in the delivery of outpatient palliative care.