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A comparison of the prevalence of dry mouth and other symptoms using two different versions of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System on an inpatient palliative care unit BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-16 Ragnhild Elisabeth Monsen, Anners Lerdal, Hilde Nordgarden, Caryl L. Gay, Bente Brokstad Herlofson
Symptom assessment is key to effective symptom management and palliative care for patients with advanced cancer. Symptom prevalence and severity estimates vary widely, possibly dependent on the assessment tool used. Are symptoms specifically asked about or must the patients add them as additional symptoms? This study compared the prevalence and severity of patient-reported symptoms in two different
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Impact of confrontation to patient suffering and death on wellbeing and burnout in professionals: a cross-sectional study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-15 Anne-Catherine Delafontaine, Royce Anders, Bernard Mathieu, Cornelia Rolli Salathé, Benjamin Putois
Palliative care and oncology generate a risk of burnout and psychological distress in professionals. The purpose of this study is to identify both psychopathological and positive factors related to mental health at work. It aims (i) to explore the extent to which these professionals are confronted with suffering, illness, and death; and to explore the prevalence of psychological distress and/or burnout
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Effects of dignity therapy on psychological distress and wellbeing of palliative care patients and family caregivers – a randomized controlled study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Annina Seiler, Manuel Amann, Caroline Hertler, Sebastian M. Christ, Markus Schettle, Barbara Meier Kaeppeli, Judith Jung-Amstutz, Christel Nigg, Bernhard C. Pestalozzi, Patrick Imesch, Reinhard Dummer, David Blum, Josef Jenewein
This study extended the original Dignity Therapy (DT) intervention by including partners and family caregivers (FCs) of terminally-ill cancer patients with the overall aim of evaluating whether DT can mitigate distress in both patients nearing the end of life and their FCs. In this multicenter, randomized controlled trial (RCT), a total of 68 patients with life expectancy < 6 months and clinically-relevant
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A Dutch paediatric palliative care guideline: a systematic review and evidence-based recommendations for symptom treatment BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Kim C. van Teunenbroek, Renée L. Mulder, Inge M. L. Ahout, Karen G. C. B. Bindels-de Heus, Catharina M. Delsman-van Gelder, Annemie F. S. Galimont-Collen, Marinka A. R. de Groot, Katja M. J. Heitink-Polle, Jeffry Looijestijn, Maarten O. Mensink, Selma Mulder, Jolanda H. Schieving, Antoinette Y. N. Schouten-van Meeteren, Johannes M. A. Verheijden, Hester Rippen, Brigitt C. M. Borggreve, Leontien C.
Children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions can experience high levels of suffering due to multiple distressing symptoms that result in poor quality of life and increase risk of long-term distress in their family members. High quality symptom treatment is needed for all these children and their families, even more so at the end-of-life. In this paper, we provide evidence-based recommendations
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Perceived communication efficacy and unmet needs for chemotherapy-associated symptom management in patients with lung and colorectal cancer: a cross-sectional study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Kai Zeng, Yaping Zhong, Xiaofang Chen, Lili Zhang
Understanding cancer patients’ unmet needs for chemotherapy-related symptom management will assist clinicians in developing tailored intervention programs. Little is known about the association between perceived communication efficacy and unmet care needs for symptom management in patients with lung and colorectal cancer. To examine the unmet care needs for symptom management of patients with lung
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Nurse assistants’ perception of caring for older persons who are dying in their own home BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Magdalena Annersten Gershater, Josefin Brenner, Malin Nordberg, Ami Hommel
As the proportion of older persons in society increases, there is a growing trend towards providing end-of-life care in their homes. Palliative care is a complex and knowledge-demanding form of care, and nurse assistants are those who work closest to the older person at the end-of-life in their own homes. However, nurse assistants sometimes have low educational and insufficient levels of knowledge
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When dying does not go well: a qualitative study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-09 Christof Breitsameter
Several studies deal with the question of what constitutes a "satisfactory death". A smaller number of studies deal with unsatisfactory dying processes. And only a few shed light on unsatisfactory deaths that take place in hospices and palliative care units, which see themselves as places conducive to a "good" death. What also remains largely undiscussed are the ethical aspects that accompany the observation
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A questionnaire survey on the implementation of palliative care in the emergency department in China BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-09 Yan Li, Huadong Zhu, Jun Xu, Jing Yang
This study was conducted to characterize the need for palliative care and its effect on patients with end-stage disease in the emergency department (ED). This was a prospective cohort study. A questionnaire survey was administered to patients with end-stage disease who were admitted to the resuscitation room of the ED and expected to live less than 6 months. A total of 82 of 2095 patients admitted
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Attitude of nurses towards palliative care and its associated factors in Ethiopia, systematic review and meta-analysis BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Addisu Getie, Manay Ayalneh, Tigabu Munye Aytenew, Melaku Bimerew, Adam Wondmieneh
Palliative care significantly improves the distressing symptoms of patients, especially those with cancer, heart disease, renal disease, and liver disease. The need for palliative care is increasing worldwide due to the growing burden of chronic disease. Nurses with an unfavorable attitude towards palliative care cannot skillfully assess the patient’s needs, do not communicate effectively, and do not
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Development of the Parental Experience with Care for Children with Serious Illnesses (PRECIOUS) quality of care measure BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Felicia Jia Ler Ang, Mihir Gandhi, Truls Ostbye, Chetna Malhotra, Rahul Malhotra, Poh Heng Chong, Zubair Amin, Cristelle Chu-Tian Chow, Teresa Shu Zhen Tan, Komal Tewani, Eric Andrew Finkelstein
Parent-reported experience measures are part of pediatric Quality of Care (QoC) assessments. However, existing measures were not developed for use across multiple healthcare settings or throughout the illness trajectory of seriously ill children. Formative work involving in-depth interviews with parents of children with serious illnesses generated 66 draft items describing key QoC processes. Our present
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Experiences with and needs for aftercare following the death of a loved one in the ICU: a mixed-methods study among bereaved relatives BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Sophie C. Renckens, Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Zina Jorna, Hanna T. Klop, Chantal du Perron, Lia van Zuylen, Monique A.H. Steegers, Birkitt L. ten Tusscher, Margo M.C. van Mol, Wouter de Ruijter, H. Roeline Pasman
Bereaved relatives of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at increased risk of psychological complaints. Aftercare might help them cope with processing the ICU admission and their loved one’s death. There is little (qualitative) evidence on how bereaved relatives experience aftercare. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic likely impacted aftercare provision. We aim to examine how many relatives in Dutch ICUs
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Correction: Towards a set of competencies in palliative care nursing in Spain: what’s getting in the way of consensus? BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Lourdes Guanter‑Peris, Eulàlia Alburquerque‑Medina, Montserrat Solà‑Pola, Margarida Pla
Correction: BMC Palliat Care 23, 41 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01359-w. Following publication of the original article [1], the author reported that they missed to include the following statement in the acknowledgement section: We thank the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya for their institutional support. The original article has been updated. Guanter-Peris L, Alburquerque-Medina
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“Tie your camel first, then rely on God”: reconceptualizing Javanese Islamic values to support palliative care at home BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Raditya Bagas Wicaksono, Amalia Muhaimin, Dick L. Willems, Jeannette Pols
In the last decade, there has been a growing concern to make palliative care more culturally sensitive and contextually appropriate. This concern is also relevant in Indonesia, where the progress of palliative care, particularly in home-based care, has been slow. Like elsewhere in the world, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of shifting from a curative orientation towards a palliative
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The influence of ambient environmental factors on breakthrough Cancer pain: insights from remote health home monitoring and a proposed data analytic approach BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Nutta Homdee, John Lach, Leslie Blackhall, Virginia LeBaron
Breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) is primarily managed at home and can stem from physical exertion and emotional distress triggers. Beyond these triggers, the impact of ambient environment on pain occurrence and intensity has not been investigated. This study explores the impact of environmental factors on the frequency and severity of breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) in the home context from the perspective
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“The great escape”: how an incident of elopement gave rise to trauma informed palliative care for a patient experiencing multiple disadvantage BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Sam Quinn, Libby Ferguson, Derek Read, Naomi Richards
This case report from Scotland, UK illustrates how unresolved traumatic experiences across the life course can affect a patient’s engagement with palliative care and offers insights into the flexibility and adaptations necessary for taking a trauma informed approach to care for an individual experiencing multiple disadvantage. Trauma informed care is a cornerstone in the pursuit of equitable palliative
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Avoidable emergency department visits among palliative care cancer patients: novel insights from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Hagir Salama, Mohamed H. Omer, Areez Shafqat, Ahmed Binahmed, Ghadah Muhammed Alghamdi, Mohammed Saeed, Mohamed Madani Alfagi, Bayan Saeed Alqahtany, Feda Alshoshan, Dalia Salih, Ahmed Hashim, Mohammad Alkaiyat, Abdullah Algarni
Several studies emerging from developed countries have highlighted a significant number of potentially avoidable emergency department (ED) visits by cancer patients during the end-of-life period. However, there is a paucity of information from developing nations regarding palliative care practices and the utilization of the ED by palliative care patients. Herein, we aim to characterize ED admissions
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Practitioner perspectives on the use of acceptance and commitment therapy for bereavement support: a qualitative study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Nikolaus Willi, Anna Pancoast, Ioanna Drikaki, Xueying Gu, David Gillanders, Anne Finucane
There is currently a high demand for bereavement support coupled with inconclusive findings as to the efficacy of existing approaches. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to improve human functioning and has shown efficacy across a wide range of conditions. ACT may be a promising means of supporting bereaved people, yet evidence on the use of ACT for bereavement support is lacking. The aim
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Feasibility of a physical exercise intervention for patients on a palliative care unit: a critical analysis BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Inken Schwonke, Nils Freitag, Paula Aschendorf, Kerstin Wucharz, Johanna Thieme, Iris Appelmann, Moritz Schumann, Frank Elsner
Recent exercise intervention studies have shown promising results in improving quality of life (QoL) and physical function (PF) in diverse chronic disease and advanced cancer patients. However, the effects of structured exercise in palliative care patients, having different therapeutic needs, lower life expectancies and PFs remain unknown. This study primarily aimed to assess the feasibility of an
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Music therapy for supporting informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness pre- and post-bereavement; a mixed-methods systematic review BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 K. Gillespie, T. McConnell, A. Roulston, N. Potvin, C. Ghiglieri, I. Gadde, M. Anderson, J. Kirkwood, D. Thomas, L. Roche, M. O.’Sullivan, A. McCullagh, L. Graham-Wisener
Music therapy interventions with informal carers of individuals with life-threatening illness at pre- and post-bereavement is an increasingly important clinical area. This systematic review is the first to synthesise and critically evaluate the international evidence associated with music therapy with adult informal carers pre- and post-bereavement. Specifically, the objectives were: i) to describe
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The state of transience, and its influence on the wish to die of advanced disease patients: insights from a qualitative phenomenological study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Alazne Belar, Maria Arantzamendi, Philip Larkin, Iñaki Saralegui, Yolanda Santesteban, Nerea Alonso, Marina Martínez, Carlos Centeno
The experience of Wish to Die is common in patients living with Advanced Disease. It has been studied worldwide and qualitative studies have contributed to the understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon of the WTD but a deeper understanding on the individual’s views is still needed. The objective of this study was to identify common characteristics of the experience of wish to die in advanced
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Digital advance care planning with severe mental illness: a retrospective observational cohort analysis of the use of an electronic palliative care coordination system BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Rea Kaur Gill, Joanne Droney, Gareth Owen, Julia Riley, Lucy Stephenson
People living with severe mental illness (SMI) face significant health inequalities, including in palliative care. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is widely recommended by palliative care experts and could reduce inequalities. However, implementing ACP with this group is challenging. Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems such as Coordinate my Care (CMC) have been introduced to support documentation
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Prognostic model for overall survival of head and neck cancer patients in the palliative phase BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-24 Arta Hoesseini, Aniel Sewnaik, Boyd N. van den Besselaar, Jang Zhang, Nikki van Leeuwen, Jose A. Hardillo, Robert Jan Baatenburg de Jong, Marinella P. J. Offerman
Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) enter the palliative phase when cure is no longer possible or when they refuse curative treatment. The mean survival is five months, with a range of days until years. Realistic prognostic counseling enables patients to make well-considered end-of-life choices. However, physicians tend to overestimate survival. The aim of this study was to
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Behaviors and influencing factors of Chinese oncology nurses towards hospice care: a cross-sectional study based on social cognitive theory in 2022 BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Jing Zhao, Yu Wang, Binbin Xiao, Fucheng Ye, Jianfei Chen, Yingjuan Huang, Ting Li, Xiaoli Chen, Hongmei Ma, Qing Zhang, Zhijie Zou
Although there is growing demand for hospice care in China due to its aging population and increasing cancer rates, the sector remains slow to expand. Oncology nurses are the primary providers of hospice care, but little is known about their behaviors towards hospice care and related factors. This cross-sectional study conveniently sampled 933 oncology nurses from six grade A tertiary hospitals in
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Comparison of actigraphy with a sleep protocol maintained by professional caregivers and questionnaire-based parental judgment in children and adolescents with life-limiting conditions BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Larissa Alice Kubek, Benedikt Claus, Boris Zernikow, Julia Wager
Actigraphy offers a promising way to objectively assess pediatric sleep. Aim of the study was investigating the extent to which actigraphy used in children and adolescents with life-limiting conditions is consistent with two other measures of sleep diagnostics. In this monocentric prospective study N = 26 children and adolescents with life-limiting conditions treated on a pediatric palliative care
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Advancing screening tool for hospice needs and end-of-life decision-making process in the emergency department BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Yu-Jing Wang, Chen-Yang Hsu, Amy Ming-Fang Yen, Hsiu-Hsi Chen, Chao-Chih Lai
Predicting mortality in the emergency department (ED) is imperative to guide palliative care and end-of-life decisions. However, the clinical usefulness of utilizing the existing screening tools still leaves something to be desired. We advanced the screening tool with the A-qCPR (Age, qSOFA (quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment), cancer, Performance Status Scale, and DNR (Do-Not-Resuscitate)
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Spiritual care needs and their attributes among Chinese inpatients with advanced breast cancer based on the Kano model: a descriptive cross-sectional study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Zhangyi Wang, Xiaochun Tang, Liping Li, Huifang Zhou, Yue Zhu, Lamei Chen, Tao Su, Mengru Liu, Xiaoli Pang, Xiaoke Yi, Li Liu, Jingjing Liu, Mengsu Liu
Numerous previous research have established the need for spiritual care among patients with cancer globally. Nevertheless, there was limited research, primarily qualitative, on the spiritual care needs of Chinese inpatients with advanced breast cancer. Furthermore, the need for spiritual care was rarely explored using the Kano model. To better understand the spiritual care needs and attributes characteristics
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Communication strategies for adults in palliative care: the speech-language therapists’ perspective BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Cátia Dias, Inês Tello Rodrigues, Hernâni Gonçalves, Ivone Duarte
Communication disorders are a challenge that many patients in palliative care (PC) may encounter. This intervention area is emerging for the speech-language therapist (SLT), the professional who works in preventing, assessing, diagnosing, and treating human communication disorders. This study aims to identify and classify the communication strategies considered most important by SLTs for use in PC
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Serious illness communication skills training for emergency physicians and advanced practice providers: a multi-method assessment of the reach and effectiveness of the intervention BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Oluwaseun Adeyemi, Alexander D. Ginsburg, Regina Kaur, Allison M. Cuthel, Nicole Zhao, Nina Siman, Keith S Goldfeld, Lillian Liang Emlet, Charles DiMaggio, Rebecca Liddicoat Yamarik, Jean-Baptiste Bouillon-Minois, Joshua Chodosh, Corita R. Grudzen
EM Talk is a communication skills training program designed to improve emergency providers’ serious illness conversational skills. Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, this study aims to assess the reach of EM Talk and its effectiveness. EM Talk consisted of one 4-h training session during which professional actors used role-plays and active
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Validation of the Collett-Lester fear of death scale in occupational therapy students: psychometric testing and implications for palliative care education BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Daniel Gutiérrez-Sánchez, Inmaculada López-Leiva, Stella Martín-de-las-Heras, Leticia Rubio, Jaime Martín-Martín
The fear of death is a common experience among healthcare students and professionals that may impact the quality of care provided to patients, particularly those receiving palliative care. The Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale is a widely used instrument to assess this fear, although its psychometric properties have not been extensively studied in Occupational Therapy students. The present study aimed
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Primary data on symptom burden and quality of life among elderly patients at risk of dying during unplanned admissions to an NHS hospital: a cohort study using EuroQoL and the integrated palliative care outcome scale BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Bridget M. Johnston, Mary Miller, Charles Normand, Magnolia Cardona, Peter May, Aoife C. Lowney
Older people account heavily for palliative care needs at the population level and are growing in number as the population ages. There is relatively little high-quality data on symptom burden and quality of life, since these data are not routinely collected, and this group are under-recruited in primary research. It is unclear which measurement tools are best suited to capture burdens and experience
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Embodied decisions unfolding over time: a meta-ethnography systematic review of people with cancer’s reasons for delaying or declining end-of-life care BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Jessica Young, Antonia Lyons, Richard Egan, Kevin Dew
Barriers to accessing hospice and palliative care have been well studied. An important yet less researched area is why people approaching the end-of-life decline a referral when they are offered services. This review focused on synthesising literature on patients in the last months of life due to a cancer diagnosis who have declined a referral to end-of-life care. Six academic databases were systematically
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Advance care planning with older Norwegian adults in their homes: a narrative ethnographic study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Line Elida Festvåg, Beate Lie Sverre, Ørnulf Paulsen, Grethe Eilertsen
The aim of advance care planning (ACP) is to enable patients to define and discuss their values and preferences to ensure that the care they receive is consistent with their needs and wishes. Most studies of ACP with older adults focus on conversations conducted in institutions. This study aimed to explore how ACP with older patients is carried out and experienced by healthcare professionals when the
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Exploring spirituality, religion and life philosophy among parents of children receiving palliative care: a qualitative study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 Pau Miquel, Ignasi Clemente, Mario Ciccorossi
Few studies have examined the spiritual environment of parents of children receiving palliative care in Southern European countries, which are mostly characterized by secularization (or the abandonment of traditional religiosity) and an increase of cultural and religious diversities resulting in a much broader spectrum of spiritual and religious beliefs. This study aimed to explore the parents’ own spirituality
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Characteristics and outcomes of patients with do-not-resuscitate and physician orders for life-sustaining treatment in a medical intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 Song-I Lee, Ye-Rin Ju, Da Hyun Kang, Jeong Eun Lee
In the intensive care unit (ICU), we may encounter patients who have completed a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) or a Physician Orders to Stop Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) document. However, the characteristics of ICU patients who choose DNR/POLST are not well understood. We retrospectively analyzed the electronic medical records of 577 patients admitted to a medical ICU from October 2019 to November
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Towards a set of competencies in palliative care nursing in Spain: what’s getting in the way of consensus? BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Lourdes Guanter-Peris, Eulàlia Alburquerque-Medina, Montserrat Solà-Pola, Margarida Pla
Spain currently lacks a competency framework for palliative care nursing. Having such a framework would help to advance this field in academic, governmental, and health management contexts. In phase I of a mixed-methods sequential study, we collected quantitative data, proposing 98 competencies to a sample of palliative care nurses. They accepted 62 of them and rejected 36. Phase II is a qualitative
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How can technology be used to support communication in palliative care beyond the covid-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods national survey of palliative care healthcare professionals BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Sarah Stanley, Anne Finucane, Anthony Thompson, Amara Callistus Nwosu
Developments in digital health have the potential to create new opportunities for healthcare professionals support delivery of palliative care. Globally, many palliative care professionals used digital health innovations to support communication with staff, patients and caregivers, during COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited data about the views of palliative care professionals of using digital
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Hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations at the end-of-life among cancer patients; a retrospective register data study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 J. Singh, E. K. Grov, M. Turzer, A. Stensvold
Patients with incurable cancer are frequently hospitalized within their last 30 days of life (DOL) due to numerous symptoms and concerns. These hospitalizations can be burdensome for the patient and the caregivers and are therefore considered a quality indicator of end-of-life care. This retrospective cohort study aims to investigate the rates and potential predictors of hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations
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Experiential training course on spirituality for multidisciplinary palliative care teams in a hospital setting: a feasibility study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 Silvia Tanzi, Giovanna Artioli, Elisabetta Bertocchi, Giulietta Luul Balestra, Luca Ghirotto, Mario Cagna, Filippo Laurenti, Simona Sacchi
There is widespread agreement about the importance of spiritual training programs (STPs) for healthcare professionals caring for cancer patients, and that reflecting on one’s spirituality is the first step. Health professionals (HPs) working in hospitals must develop this dimension to guarantee the quality of life as well as spiritual and emotional support. In this paper, we propose a possible training
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Impact of palliative care at end-of-life Covid-19 patients – a small-scale pioneering experience BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-10 João Luís Rodrigues-Ribeiro, Luísa Castro, Filipa Pinto-Ribeiro, Rui Nunes
In March 2020, the outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was declared a pandemic, resulting in numerous fatalities worldwide. To effectively combat the virus, it would be beneficial to involve professionals who specialize in symptom control for advanced illnesses, working closely with other specialties throughout the illness process. This approach can help manage a range of symptoms, from mild to
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The experience of patients with hematological malignancy in their terminal stage: a phenomenological study from Jordan’s perspective BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Mohammad M. Alnaeem, Anas Shehadeh, Abdulqadir J. Nashwan
Patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies residing in low-middle-income countries undergo significant physical and psychological stressors. Despite this, only 16% of them receive proper care during the terminal stages. It is therefore crucial to gain insight into the unique experiences of this population. To have a better understanding of the needs and experiences of adult patients with advanced
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“They choke to death in front of your very eyes”: nurses’ lived experiences and perspectives on end-of-life care during COVID-19 BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Daniel Sperling
The COVID-19 pandemic led to an intensified fear and threat of dying, combined with dying and grieving in isolation, in turn significantly impacting nursing in end-of-life situations. The study aims (1) to understand the lived experiences of nurses who provided care to end-of-life patients during COVID-19; and (2) to explore whether providing care under such circumstances altered the perspectives of
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The effectiveness of aesthetic care training on nurses’ perceptions of end-of-life care in patients with cancer: a quasi-experimental study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Sina Shahmohammadi, Parvin Mangolian shahrbabaki, Maryam Radmehr, Sedigheh Khodabandeh Shahraki
Supportive end-of-life care plays a significant role for patients with cancer. Significantly, art and aesthetics in nursing are regarded as key components of nursing practice. They may contribute to supportive end-of-life care that nurses provide for patients with cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of aesthetic care training on nurses’ perceptions of end-of-life care in
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Developing a best-practice agenda for music therapy research to support informal carers of terminally ill patients pre- and post-death bereavement: a world café approach BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-07 Tracey McConnell, Kathryn Gillespie, Noah Potvin, Audrey Roulston, Jenny Kirkwood, Daniel Thomas, Angela McCullagh, Lorna Roche, Marcella O’Sullivan, Kate Binnie, Amy Clements-Cortés, Lauren DiMaio, Zara Thompson, Giorgos Tsiris, Ranka Radulovic, Lisa Graham-Wisener
Informal carers of terminally ill patients play a vital role in providing palliative care at home, which impacts on their pre- and post-death bereavement experience and presents an up to 50% greater risk for mental-health problems. However, developing and implementing effective bereavement support remains challenging. There is a need to build the evidence base for music therapy as a potentially promising
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Potentially burdensome care at the end-of-life for cancer decedents: a retrospective population-wide study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Rebecca J Mitchell, Geoffrey P Delaney, Gaston Arnolda, Winston Liauw, Jane L Phillips, Reidar P Lystad, Reema Harrison, Jeffrey Braithwaite
Variation persists in the quality of end-of-life-care (EOLC) for people with cancer. This study aims to describe the characteristics of, and examine factors associated with, indicators of potentially burdensome care provided in hospital, and use of hospital services in the last 12 months of life for people who had a death from cancer. A population-based retrospective cohort study of people aged ≥ 20
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Children with cancer at the end of life in a middle-income country: integrated pediatric palliative care improves outcomes BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 María Isabel Cuervo-Suarez, Daniela Cleves, Natalia Duque-Nieto, Angélica Claros-Hulbert, Karen Molina-Gómez, Jhon Edwar Bolaños-Lopez, María Elena Tello-Cajiao, Justin N Baker, Michael J. McNeil, Ximena García-Quintero
In 2020, the Global Cancer Observatory reported 280,000 cases of childhood cancer worldwide, with a higher burden of disease and mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries. In 2022, the National Institute of Health reported 1708 new cases of childhood cancer in Colombia and an overall survival rate of approximately 55%. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes in children with cancer in
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Improving end-of-life care for people with dementia: a mixed-methods study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Zoi Triandafilidis, Sally Carr, Daneill Davis, Sarah Yeun-Sim Jeong, Jacinta Hensby, Daniel Wong, John Attia, Nicholas Goodwin
Improving palliative and end-of-life care for people with dementia is a growing priority globally. This study aimed to integrate multiple perspectives on end-of-life care for people with dementia and carers, to identify clinically relevant areas for improvement. The mixed-methods study involved surveys, interviews, and workshops with two participant groups: healthcare professionals and carers (individuals
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ENABLE-SG (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends for Singapore) as a proactive palliative care model: protocol for a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomized wait-list controlled trial BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Yu Ke, Yin Bun Cheung, Marie Bakitas, J. Nicholas Odom, Elaine Lum, Daniel Shao Weng Tan, Tira J. Tan, Eric Finkelstein, Hong Choon Oh, Siqin Zhou, Grace Meijuan Yang
Specialist palliative care is often provided late in the patient’s disease trajectory in response to uncontrolled symptoms. Shifting from this reactionary illness-stress paradigm to a proactive health-wellness approach, the ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) telehealth model aims to enhance the coping, stress and symptom management, self-care, and advance care planning skills of patients
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Characteristics and clinical challenges in patients with substance use disorder in palliative care—experience from a tertiary center in a high-income country BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Laura Marti, Ellen Hünerwadel, Bigna Hut, Sebastian M. Christ, Fabienne Däster, Markus Schettle, Annina Seiler, David Blum, Caroline Hertler
Access to palliative care is often limited for challenging and vulnerable groups, including persons with substance use disorders. However, with optimized healthcare options and liberal substitution policies, this patient group is likely to increase over the upcoming years, and comorbidities will also influence the need for palliative support. Here, we aim at analyzing characteristics and specific challenges
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Non-invasive ventilation in the care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with palliative care needs: a scoping review BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Simen A. Steindal, Kristin Hofsø, Hanne Aagaard, Kari L. Mariussen, Brith Andresen, Vivi L. Christensen, Kristin Heggdal, Marte-Marie Wallander Karlsen, Monica E. Kvande, Nina M. Kynø, Anne Kathrine Langerud, Mari Oma Ohnstad, Kari Sørensen, Marie Hamilton Larsen
Patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could have palliative care (PC) needs because of unmet needs such as dyspnoea. This may lead to anxiety and may have an impact on patients’ ability to perform daily activities of living. PC can be started when patients with COPD have unmet needs and can be provided alongside disease-modifying therapies. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV)
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Correction: Caring for persons with dementia: a qualitative study of the needs of carers following care recipient discharge from hospital BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-26 Janice Du Preez, Antonio Celenza, Christopher Etherton-Beer, Paula Moffat, Elissa Campbell, Glenn Arendts
Correction: BMC Palliat Care 22, 200 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-023-01322-1 Following publication of the original article [1], the author reported that the given names and family names were switched. This has been corrected above and the original article has been updated. Du Preez J, Celenza A, Etherton-Beer C, et al. Caring for persons with dementia: a qualitative study of the needs of
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Dialysis decision-making process by Chinese American patients at an urban, academic medical center: a retrospective chart review BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Abigail L. Lebovitz, Steven A. Schwab, Michelle M. Richardson, Klemens B. Meyer, Benjamin Sweigart, Tamara Vesel
Clinical practice guidelines emphasize shared decision-making for kidney replacement treatment, yet little is known about the influence of cultural differences on that process. We undertook a retrospective chart review to explore the process and timing of dialysis decision making and initiation in Chinese American patients to provide quality kidney care for this population. Participants received outpatient
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Bereaved parents’ perceptions of memory making: a qualitative meta-synthesis BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Dan-dan Xu, Guang-xiong Zhang, Xin-bo Ding, Jing Ma, Ya-xi Suo, Yang-yao Peng, Ji-li Zeng, Miao Liu, Rui-tong Hou, Jin Li, Fen Hu
This study aims to investigate the experiences of parents who have experienced bereavement in their efforts to preserve memories of their deceased child. Employing a qualitative meta-synthesis approach, this study systematically sought relevant qualitative literature by conducting searches across various electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library
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Correction: A shared decision-making model in pediatric palliative care: a qualitative study of healthcare providers BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Siyu Cai, Lei Cheng, Ruixin Wang, Xuan Zhou, Xiaoxia Peng
Correction: BMC Palliat Care 22, 190 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-023-01307-0 Following publication of the original article [1], the author reported that the equal contribution symbol has been assigned to the 3rd and 4th author when it should be for the 4th and the last author. This has been corrected above and the original article has been updated. Cai S, Cheng L, Wang R, et al. A shared
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The impact of an integrated early palliative care telehealth intervention on the quality of life of heart failure patients: a randomized controlled feasibility study BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Arvin Mirshahi, Marie Bakitas, Meysam Khoshavi, Ali Khanipour-Kencha, Seyed Mohammad Riahi, Rachel Wells, J. Nicholas Odom, Shahrzad Ghiyasvandian, Masoumeh Zakerimoghadam
While palliative care for patients with heart failure has gained global attention, in Iran most palliative care interventions have focused only on cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth palliative care intervention to improve the quality of life in patients with heart failure in Iran. This single-site, pilot randomized controlled
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The impact of a nursing spiritual care module on nursing competence: an experimental design BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 Ali H. Abusafia, Adam Mahmoud Salameh Khraisat, Ola K. Tableb, Khalid Al-Mugheed, Amany Anwar Alabdullah, Sally Mohammed Farghaly Abdelaliem
This study aimed to assess the impact of the Nursing Spiritual Care Module on the competence of nurses in providing spiritual care in the context of Malaysia. This study employed an experimental design and involved a total of 122 nurses, with 59 in the experimental group and 63 in the control group. Participants were selected from palliative care wards associated with Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia
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Comparison of anxiety and depression levels in caregivers of patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy for home enteral tube feeding against other enteral nutrition methods BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 Gökmen Özceylan, İnahet Findik
The aim of the study was to demonstrate whether the care burden of caregivers of bedridden patients, who experience feeding difficulties, decreases according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (1) after the patient has undergone PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy). The hypothesis of the study was that the levels of anxiety and depression of caregivers for patients fed via PEG
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Palliative care training in medical undergraduate education: a survey among the faculty BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Kadri Suija, Stephen R. Mason, Frank Elsner, Piret Paal
A minority of European countries have compulsory training in palliative care within all medical schools. The aim of the study was to examine palliative care education in Estonia. We used the adapted version of the Palliative Education Assessment Tool (PEAT) to evaluate palliative care education at the University of Tartu, the only medical school in Estonia. The PEAT comprises of different palliative
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The complex intervention day hospice — a quality-assured study on the implementation, realization, and benefits with model character for Germany (IMPULS) using the example of “Day hospice Adiuvantes” BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-16 Ulrich Kaiser, Ursula Vehling-Kaiser, Ana Hoffmann, Moritz Fiedler, Alexandra Hofbauer, Michael Rechenmacher, Anne Benning, Michael Koller, Florian Kaiser
Currently, a conclusive experience on the uniform implementation and benefits of day hospice structures and interventions is lacking in Germany. The following questions should be clarified: (1) Which structural conditions and interventional measures should be established in day hospices from the point of view of patients, relatives, and specialist staff?; (2) Are the planned structures or interventions
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Measuring palliative care integration in Malawi through service provision, access, and training indicators: the Waterloo Coalition Initiative BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-16 Fatia Kiyange, Mackuline Atieno, Emmanuel B. K. Luyirika, Zipporah Ali, Helena Musau, Lameck Thambo, John Y. Rhee, Eve Namisango, William E. Rosa
Fewer than 1 in 20 people on the African continent in need of palliative care receive it. Malawi is a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa that has yet to achieve advanced palliative care integration accompanied by unrestricted access to pain and symptom relieving palliative medicines. This paper studied the impact of Malawi’s Waterloo Coalition Initiative (WCI) – a local project promoting palliative
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Perspectives of telemedicine-based services among family caregivers of patients with end-of-life cancer: a qualitative study in mainland China BMC Palliat. Care (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Junchen Guo, Xianghua Xu, Chaoyi Liu, Ying Wang, Yongyi Chen
Despite being driven by a strong sense of duty and familial obligation, providing care for patients nearing the end of life poses challenges for family caregivers. Telemedicine has rapidly gained traction as a transformative approach to healthcare delivery, offering an array of benefits that could be particularly valuable in end-of-life care. However, research on the perspectives of telemedicine-based