European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
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Palliative sedation at the end of life to handle unmanageable symptoms has been much debated. A systematic literature review in three phases including a content analysis of 15 articles published between the years 1990 and 2005 has been conducted. The aim was to describe the phenomenon of 'palliative sedation at the end of life' from a nursing perspective. ⋯ It is usually given because of the patient's pain, agitation and/or dyspnoea. Professionals usually have positive attitudes towards it and their view differs from that of the public's view regarding it as continuously deep sedation, whereas the public regards it as being close to euthanasia. Studies focusing on nursing care during palliative sedation are hard to find and this underlines the importance of further research in this area to elucidate the nurses' role during palliative sedation.
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Pet ownership has been associated with both emotional and physical health benefits. However, owning pets may also pose health risks to immunocompromised patients through zoonotic transmission of disease. Our initial impression was that there is a lack of any evidence base in information given by health care professionals regarding these risks. ⋯ Guidelines include general advice on good hygiene practices, veterinary care, pet foods, purchasing of new pets and age restrictions. Health care professionals should actively enquire about household pets and provide accurate information and practical advice on how to minimise the risk of infection. However, the overall benefits of the human-animal bond must be considered and with proper handling and husbandry immunocompromised patients should be able to continue to enjoy the significant benefits of pet ownership.
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Advances in antiemetic therapy over the past decade have undoubtedly eased the burden of radiotherapy- and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Despite this, these distressing side-effects of cancer therapy are still experienced by some patients. Moreover, nausea has both a higher incidence and a greater effect on patient quality of life than vomiting. ⋯ As with any therapy, less complicated dosing regimens are likely to improve compliance, an issue that may be particularly pertinent in nauseated patients who are unable to ingest multiple doses. Furthermore, the focus of antiemetic therapy should be on prevention, as the presence and severity of acute symptoms have been linked to occurrence of symptoms in the delayed phase and the likelihood of anticipatory nausea and vomiting with further treatment cycles. This review aims to assess the potentially neglected symptom of nausea and focuses on recognizing and controlling this side-effect of cancer therapy.
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A large body of evidence exists, which demonstrates the importance of nutritional support in cancer. The nutritional needs of patients with cancer may differ from those of the healthy population due to hypermetabolism, impaired organ function, increased nutrient losses and therapy-related malnutrition. Patients with cancer often have increased requirements for both macro- and micronutrients due to long periods of undernutrition prior to diagnosis. ⋯ Individual studies suggest that EPA attenuates cancer-associated wasting and improves immune function. In addition, it has been shown to have anti-tumour effects and improve clinical outcomes. However, results are not consistent for all patient groups and further research is required.
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The work of Corner and colleagues in the non-pharmacological management of breathlessness in patients with lung cancer has aroused considerable interest. Cancer and palliative care nurses are encouraged to incorporate the breathlessness intervention into their clinical practice but this has not always proved easy or straightforward. This paper draws on the authors' experience as lung cancer nurse specialists to explore some of the difficulties nurses in clinical practice may encounter when attempting to translate the research findings into their own areas and suggests ways these difficulties may be overcome.