Palliative Care News and Research

RSS

Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

The American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org, today honored the recipients of its fifth annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers.

21 May 2011

Phase 3 open-label study of RELISTOR presented at American Pain Society meeting

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced findings from two analyses of a Phase 3 open-label study of RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) presented at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society. The meeting is being held in Austin, TX, on May 19-21, 2011.

21 May 2011

Viewpoints: Coburn on his dropout; Malpractice reform and states

For the past several months I have been meeting with a small group of senators from both parties, informally known as the Gang of Six, that was designed to force the idle — not gridlocked — Senate, and then the House and the president, to enact a long-term deficit-reduction package.

20 May 2011

Research roundup: Medicare costs in nursing homes; Docs reluctant to adopt EHRs; Health law to improve access to care

Medicare Expenditures Among Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia -- Researchers followed 323 dementia patients in 22 nursing homes for up to 18 months and found that over an 18-month period, "total mean Medicare expenditures were $2303 per 90 days but were highly skewed; expenditures were less than $500 for 77.1% of the 90-day assessment periods and more than $12 000 for 5.5% of these periods.

13 May 2011

Wealth, population size, race and age associate with local availability of hospice programs

Wealth, population size, race and age associate with the supply of hospice care available in a county, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management this month.

10 May 2011

Mary Ann Liebert publishes new journal on cancer care for adolescent and young adult patients

The field of adolescent and young adult oncology reflects the growing recognition that this group of patients and survivors are not just "old" pediatric patients or "young" adult patients.

9 May 2011

ESC Heart Failure meeting offers strong scientific programme

This year the Heart Failure Congress 2011, organised by the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, offers a strong scientific programme featuring 11 late breaking trials and clinical updates, over 1000 original abstracts, 14 industry sponsored satellites and mini satellites and over 70 separate sessions.

7 May 2011

VA develops FATE survey to access treatment quality at the end of patients' lives

Though there have been significant improvements in the treatment of head and neck cancer, there is still a lack of data on the experience of end of life care for head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study published in the May 2011 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

2 May 2011

Greenwich Hospital offers spiritual care to patients

People expect their medical needs to be satisfied when in the hospital, but how about their spiritual, emotional and cultural needs? These are also important to the healing process and, at Greenwich Hospital, it's the spiritual care chaplains who make sure doctors understand how to address these patient needs.

2 May 2011

AACN to host annual NTI conference for nurses

Emerging trends in patient care combine with advances in healthcare technology as thousands of nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients gather in Chicago this month.

27 Apr 2011

Northwestern Asthma-COPD Program with palliative medicine can enhance patient care

When faced with a long-term illness, patients often retreat or are left feeling hopeless, a response that can negatively impact one's prognosis and impair their quality of life. When coping measures are offered however, the opposite can hold true.

27 Apr 2011

Ketogenic diet may reverse impaired kidney function in diabetics

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time determined that the ketogenic diet, a specialized high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, may reverse impaired kidney function in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. They also identified a previously unreported panel of genes associated with diabetes-related kidney failure, whose expression was reversed by the diet. The findings were published in the current issue of PLoS ONE.

21 Apr 2011

New experimental drug can help treat peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients

Although oncologists have made great strides in many aspects of cancer treatment, one area that has remained very difficult to treat is peripheral neuropathy, namely pain that can be caused by the cancer or by its treatment.

11 Apr 2011

Canadian political parties called upon to focus on health system during election campaign

The Health Action Lobby today called on all political parties to focus on the health system during the federal election campaign. HEAL is a coalition of 35 national health organizations that represents a broad cross-section of health providers, health regions, institutions & facilities.

8 Apr 2011

Study: Majority of hospital deaths are due to late cancer diagnosis

Late cancer diagnosis in Northern Ireland contributes to hospital deaths despite patient's preference to die at home according to a major report launched at Queen's University Belfast.

8 Apr 2011

New research identifies diverse barriers to breast cancer screening and treatment

A landmark breast health care publication reveals a multitude of barriers that keep women of developing nations from being screened and treated for breast cancer - but offers tools to help countries improve their breast care programs.

2 Apr 2011

Champions enters exclusive license agreement with BCCA for Irinophore C

Champions Biotechnology, Inc. announced today that it has exercised an option to license Irinophore C, a liposomal formulation of Irinotecan, from the BC Cancer Agency in British Columbia, Canada.

2 Apr 2011

New lifesaving technology can combat cancer

Imagine the benefits if there was technology that pinpointed exactly which chemotherapy drugs work best in fighting each individual's type of cancer. No more guessing. No more trial and error. The good news is that such lifesaving technology is on its way to becoming reality.

1 Apr 2011

CPS: Withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration is legally, ethically acceptable

The Canadian Paediatric Society wants to help health care providers faced with difficult end-of-life decisions, with a new paper on withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH). The CPS says that withholding or withdrawing ANH is both legally and ethically acceptable as part of a palliative care plan.