Articles: caregivers.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Early Integrated Palliative Care on Caregivers of Patients with Lung and Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
The family and friends (caregivers) of patients with advanced cancer often experience tremendous distress. Although early integrated palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and mood, its effects on caregivers' outcomes is currently unknown. ⋯ Early involvement of palliative care for patients with newly diagnosed lung and gastrointestinal cancers leads to improvement in caregivers' psychological symptoms. The findings of this trial demonstrate that the benefits of the early, integrated palliative care model in oncology care extend beyond patient outcomes and positively impact the experience of caregivers. These findings contribute novel data to the growing evidence base supporting the benefits of integrating palliative care earlier in the course of disease for patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Mindfulness-based stress reduction added to care as usual for lung cancer patients and/or their partners: A multicentre randomized controlled trial.
Lung cancer patients report among the highest distress rates of all cancer patients. Partners report similar distress rates. The present study examined the effectiveness of additional mindfulness-based stress reduction (care as usual [CAU] + MBSR) versus solely CAU to reduce psychological distress in lung cancer patients and/or their partners. ⋯ Our findings suggest that psychological distress in lung cancer patients can be effectively treated with MBSR. No effect was found in partners, possibly because they were more focused on patients' well-being rather than their own.
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The Lancet. Global health · Dec 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of a training and educational intervention for physicians and caregivers on antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections in children at primary care facilities in rural China: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.
Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing contributes to the generation of drug resistance worldwide, and is particularly common in China. We assessed the effectiveness of an antimicrobial stewardship programme aiming to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in paediatric outpatients by targeting providers and caregivers in primary care hospitals in rural China. ⋯ Department of International Development (UKAID) through Communicable Diseases Health Service Delivery.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Nov 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialHospice Family Caregiver Involvement in Care Plan Meetings: A Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial.
Untrained family caregivers struggle with complicated medical management regimens for hospice patients. An intervention was tested to improve caregiver's perception of pain management and patient's pain. ⋯ The overall perception of pain management was not changed by the participation in hospice team meetings. Perceptions of fatalism improved for intervention participants, and the intervention participants perceived their patients' pain was better controlled than those in the control group. The intervention was found to be feasible to deliver in rural areas. Caregiver's anxiety and patient's pain were correlated ( r = .18; P = .003), and subanalysis indicated that caregivers of patients with cancer may benefit more from the intervention than other hospice caregivers. Qualitative analyses provided understanding of caregiver's perceptions of pain, cost, and facilitators and barriers to routine involvement of family in care plan meetings. Limitations and Conclusion: The hospice philosophy is supportive of caregiver involvement in care planning, and technology makes this feasible; the intervention needs modification to become translational as well as additional measurement to assess effectiveness. Caregiver education and emotional support should occur outside the meeting, and a strong leader should facilitate the meeting to control efficiency. Finally, the intervention may benefit caregivers of patients with cancer more than others.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialA Randomized Clinical Trial of Caregiver-delivered Reflexology for Symptom Management during Breast Cancer Treatment.
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a home-based reflexology intervention delivered by a friend/family caregiver compared with attention control on health-related quality of life of women with advanced breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy, targeted and/or hormonal therapy. ⋯ Efficacy findings of caregiver-delivered reflexology with respect to symptom reduction open a new evidence-based avenue for home-based symptom management.