Articles: palliative-care.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Review Meta AnalysisPatient and family preferences about place of end-of-life care and death: An umbrella review.
The place where people are cared towards the end of their life and die is a complex phenomenon, requiring a deeper understanding. Honoring preferences is critical for the delivery of high-quality care. ⋯ These findings are a crucial starting point to address gaps and enhance strategies to align care with patient and family preferences. To accurately identify patient and family preferences is an important opportunity to change their lives positively.
-
Multicenter Study
Clinician Perspectives on Virtual Specialty Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Illnesses.
Background: Patients with serious illnesses have unmet symptom and psychosocial needs. Specialty palliative care could address many of these needs; however, access varies by geography and health system. Virtual visits and automated referrals could increase access and lead to improved quality of life, health outcomes, and patient-centered care for patients with serious illness. ⋯ Many respondents were supportive of virtual palliative care, particularly for those who may have difficulty accessing physician offices, but most respondents felt that such care should only be provided after an initial in-person consultation where clinicians can meet face-to-face with patients. Conclusion: Clinicians believe that automated referrals and virtual palliative care could increase access to the benefits of specialty palliative care. However, virtual palliative care models should give attention to iterative communication with primary clinicians and the perceived need for an initial in-person visit.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Difficulties of Cancer Patients' Relatives in End-of-Life Discussions: Validation of a Questionnaire.
Despite the potential benefits and the desire for end-of-life communication, it rarely occurs in the familial context. Relatives play a significant role in the communication process; thus, it is crucial to understand the difficulties that they face. ⋯ The results indicate that the DEOLD-FI-r is a valid and reliable instrument for the systematic assessment of difficulties in family end-of-life communication. By focusing on relatives, it complements the already validated patient-version.
-
This article provides guidance on the integral role of physical therapy, occupational therapy (OT), and speech language pathology (SLP) in palliative care (PC), underlining the necessity for effective communication between physicians and therapists, the importance of caregiver education and support, the application of holistic treatment modalities in OT, the underutilization of resources in PC settings, the role of SLP professionals in feeding and nutrition, and the challenges in communication during the advanced stages of illness. The article draws on various studies and expert opinions to elucidate these issues, offering a valuable resource to health care professionals in ensuring high-quality patient-centered PC.