Articles: palliative-care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialMassage Therapy for Hospitalized Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Massage therapy is increasingly used in palliative settings to improve quality of life (QoL) and symptom burden; however, the optimal massage "dosage" remains unclear. ⋯ Massage therapy in complex patients with advanced illness was beneficial beyond dosage. Findings support session length (10 or 20 minutes) was predictive of short-term improvements while treatment frequency (once or three consecutive days) predicted sustained improvement at follow-up.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Assessing the Acceptability and Feasibility of Leveraging Emergency Department Social Workers' Advanced Communication Skills to Assess Elderly Patients' Goals and Values.
Background: The Emergency Department (ED) has increasingly been recognized as an important site of care for older adults with unmet palliative care needs. Despite this, no clear model of care delivery has emerged. Aim: To assess the acceptability and feasibility of a scripted palliative care communication intervention in the ED directed by social workers. ⋯ Of the patients who received the intervention, the majority reported that they appreciated the social workers bringing up their goals for the future (77%), their social workers asking about their fears and worries (72%), and they liked the way the conversation was set up (81%). Social workers administered 95% of the conversation components. Conclusions: This pilot trial demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a social worker-directed, scripted palliative care communication intervention in a single urban, academic ED.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialExamining Caregiver Outcomes in the CONNECT Intervention for Patients with Advanced Cancer.
Palliative care offers patient and family centered approaches that may mitigate risk of caregiver burden and poor mood. ⋯ Caregivers in CONNECT did not experience improved burden or mood, however, they reported higher self-efficacy compared to caregivers receiving standard care. This study highlights the need for strategies to optimize caregiver outcomes in palliative care interventions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Feasibility of a Palliative Care Intervention within Routine Care of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Background: Patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) are at risk for poor quality of life (QoL) and high symptom burden, coupled with limited treatment options. Palliative care (PC) can play an important role in reducing the suffering of this population, but remains underutilized. Aim: To demonstrate feasibility of an outpatient PC intervention within HCC care. ⋯ Post-intervention, symptom burden and QoL improved in the intervention arm and remained same or worsened in the control group. All FACT-Hep scores decreased numerically among controls and increased numerically among patients in the PC intervention group. Conclusion: Outpatient PC intervention within routine HCC care is feasible, and can potentially improve QoL and symptoms.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialDetermining massage dose-response to improve cancer-related symptom cluster of pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance: A 7-arm randomized trial in palliative cancer care.
The efficacy of various massage doses in palliative cancer care settings is still debated, and no specific protocol is available. ⋯ The findings indicated that dose-escalation increases the efficacy of massage for the pain-fatigue-sleep symptom cluster. Although the 60-min doses were found to be more effective, the 30-min doses can be considered more practical because they are less costly and time-consuming. Our findings can be helpful to develop massage guidelines in palliative care settings.