J Palliat Care
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Practice guidelines indicate that patients who have months to weeks left to live should not be offered chemotherapy. We examined factors associated with clinician-reported poor performance status as determined by the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) and subsequent initiation of intravenous (IV) chemotherapy in an ambulatory cancer population in Ontario, Canada. ⋯ A small number of cancer patients with poor performance status began IV chemotherapy in the month following assessment.
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Multicenter Study
Factors associated with fulfilling the preference for dying at home among cancer patients: the role of general practitioners.
This study aimed to explore clinical and care-related factors associated with fulfilling cancer patients' preference for home death across four countries: Belgium (BE), The Netherlands (NL), Italy (IT), and Spain (ES). ⋯ Those who develop policy to facilitate home death need to examine available resources for primary end-of-life care.
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This prospective descriptive study investigated pain characteristics in 20 outpatients with endstage liver disease (ESLD) who were approaching the end of life, described variability in pain between and within patients, and described the pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management strategies used. The instruments we utilized were the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the self-care behaviour (SCB) log for pain. ⋯ The top three pain-relieving behaviours reported by patients were "taking pain medication," "taking a nap," and "asking for help." Pain medication intake-differed between patients who were pursuing a liver transplant and those who were not eligible for one. If we are to effectively improve care for ESLD patients, it is essential that we understand the ways in which these patients experience pain and the pain management strategies they employ.