Articles: palliative-care.
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Background: Patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) often receive aggressive care at the end of life (EOL). Early palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve EOL care outcomes, but its benefits are less established in HM than in solid tumors. Objectives: We sought to describe the use of billed PC services among Medicare beneficiaries with HM. ⋯ Early PC services were associated with increased hospice use and decreased health care utilization at the EOL. Conclusion: Among patients with HM, there was an upward trend in PC services, and early PC services were associated with less aggressive EOL care. Our results support the need for prospective trials of early PC in HM.
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Review Meta Analysis
Knowledge on Palliative Care and Associated Factors among Nurses in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Palliative care is a multidisciplinary team-based care for patients facing life-threatening illness and their families which addresses their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs to improve the quality of care. There is a strategy for an increase in palliative care services by integrating with the healthcare system. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to assess the overall pooled prevalence of nurses' knowledge towards palliative care in Ethiopia. ⋯ More than half of nurses had poor knowledge of palliative care. Educational status of nurses and palliative care training were significantly associated factors with the nurses' level of knowledge about palliative care. Therefore, palliative care training and improving nurses' careers through continuous professional development should be focused on regularly to improve nurses' knowledge about palliative care.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2021
ReviewThe palliative care needs and experiences of people with advanced head and neck cancer: A scoping review.
The palliative care needs of people with advanced head and neck cancer pose unique complexities due to the impact the illness has on eating, speaking, appearance and breathing. Examining these needs would help provide guidance about developing relevant models of care and identify gaps in research knowledge. ⋯ This scoping review demonstrates the complexity of care for people with advanced head and neck cancer and the issues related to the current healthcare systems. Focus on appropriate referral criteria, increased integration and coordination of care and robust evaluation of specific care components seems key. Linkage between research and service design delivery across teams, disciplines and care settings seems pertinent.
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Background: Although access to advance care planning (ACP), palliative care, and hospice has increased, public attitudes may still be barriers to their optimal use. Purpose: To synthesize empirical research from disparate sources that describes public perceptions of ACP, palliative care, and hospice in ways that could inform public messaging. Data Sources: Searches of PubMed and other databases were made from January 2011 to January 2020. ⋯ Limitations: A limited number of studies met inclusion criteria, and some were published in nonpeer reviewed sources. The studies reflect public perceptions pre-COVID-19. Conclusion: Consumer perceptions of ACP, palliative care, and hospice each have a distinct profile of awareness, perceptions of importance, and reports of action taking, and these profiles represent three different challenges for public messaging.
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Background: Recurrent ascites is a late manifestation of several diseases, including cancer, cirrhosis, and heart failure, invariably associated with very poor prognosis. Hence, every effort must be aimed at reducing discomfort and side effects of its management. Objective: To evaluate if peritoneal catheters (PCs) are a viable alternative treatment approach in palliative patients who fail medical management of ascites. ⋯ A Tenckhoff percutaneous catheter was inserted, allowing for ascites' control and with no complications noted. Conclusions: PC placement was successful in controlling the patient's symptoms and ultimately improved comfort and well-being during the final stage of his life. This option should be assessed in selected patients to elevate palliative standards of care.