Palliative Care News and Research

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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.

Researchers explore communication needs, preferences of older Latinos with advanced cancer

The way in which bad news is communicated to patients at the end of their lives influences their quality of care. Researchers at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work are examining the perceptions and preferences of older Latinos with advanced cancer--one of the fastest growing segments in the aging population--about receiving news on their diagnosis or prognosis.

1 Jun 2016

Advanced cancer patients lack palliative, hospice care

Medical societies, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, recommend that patients with advanced cancer receive palliative care soon after diagnosis and receive hospice care for at least the last three days of their life. Yet major gaps persist between these recommendations and real-life practice, a new study shows.

27 May 2016

Study explores whether way of expressing condolences should be standardised among oncologists

The results of a new survey published in ecancermedicalscience indicate that a majority of oncology professionals believe that writing condolence letters to the families of deceased patients is an important component of cancer palliative care.

20 May 2016

Comprehensive outlook of COPD care in the U.S.

Fifteen million: That's the number of adults in the United States affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

18 May 2016

Guide to advance directives: an interview with Dr Lisa Price

An advance directive is a very specific legal document that details the medical treatments you want, and, importantly, don’t want, if you’re unable to communicate with a physician. This may happen as a result of a critical illness that could make you confused or unable to speak.

6 May 2016

Physicians failing to talk to stroke patients about end-of-life treatment preferences

US research suggests that physician-patient discussion about limitations on life-sustaining interventions following ischaemic stroke is low, poorly documented and often left too late.

14 Apr 2016

Cancer patients who choose home-based palliative care tend to live longer

A large study from Japan found that cancer patients who died at home tended to live longer than those who died in hospitals. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that oncologists should not hesitate to refer patients for home-based palliative care simply because less medical treatment may be provided.

28 Mar 2016

Study gives insight into reasons behind hospital deaths in older people

Despite the rates of hospital deaths in England declining, nearly two-thirds of people aged 85 and over, and more than half of people aged 95 and over still die in hospital, new research has found.

25 Mar 2016

Restrictions to opioid prescription block their use for safe, effective pain relief

Opioids are very effective for treating some types of pain, such as cancer pain and postoperative pain, but not for other kinds of pain like chronic low back pain. An increase in the number of opioid-related deaths among addicts has led to the current movement to restrict opioid prescribing by state and federal authorities.

25 Mar 2016

New reference guide can help HIV care providers treat chronic pain

Recent studies suggest many individuals with HIV have chronic pain. Estimates range from 39 percent all the way to 85 percent. Chronic pain is an important comorbid condition in individuals with HIV, as it is common and causes substantial disability.

22 Mar 2016

Penn study calls on physicians to avoid over-prescribing opioids for surgical patients

Physicians are prescribing more opioid painkillers than ever before to patients undergoing common surgeries, according to new research from the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

21 Mar 2016

Newly developed computer models can simulate stem cell transplant recovery

Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University have developed computer models that can simulate the recovery of the immune system in patients undergoing stem cell transplants.

18 Mar 2016

New research shows deficiencies in general palliative care for stroke patients

Caregivers are displaying insufficient knowledge of how things are for stroke patients the week before they die - for example, staff have difficulties stating whether the patients had someone with them at their death, or if they were experiencing pain. Care for stroke patients therefore risks becoming worse compared to patients who die from cancer.

13 Mar 2016

NYU researchers develop new system to manage dementia care at home

Over two thirds or the home health care population consists of adults over the age of 65, approximately 36% have some form of cognitive impairment, including dementia. According to the Institute of Medicine, the number of home health care (HHC) providers qualified to properly care for the older adults, including those with dementia, is inadequate.

7 Mar 2016

End-of-life care can be challenging for people behind bars

With an increasingly aging prison population, end-of-life care for inmates is becoming a more prominent issue, according to Penn State nursing researchers. End-of-life -- EOL -- care can be complicated, no matter who the patient is, but can be especially challenging for those behind bars.

27 Feb 2016

Study shows high cost, high side effects and little gain for chemotherapy in older mCRC patients

A study published online ahead of print in the journal Medical Care shows that over a recent 10-year period, the rate of metastatic colorectal cancer patients older than age 75 receiving three or more treatments increased from 2 percent to 53 percent.

26 Feb 2016

Heart attack patients experiencing cardiogenic shock at higher risk of death in first 60 days post-discharge

Heart attack patients who experience cardiogenic shock have a higher risk of death or rehospitalization than non-shock patients in the first 60 days post-discharge, but by the end of the first year, the gap between the two groups narrows, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Feb 2016

Enhancing quality of life for people with serious illnesses

Being diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness is distressing enough but a dearth of cohesive services often compounds the difficulty, according to an NAU researcher.

11 Feb 2016

Critical access hospitals help meet need for high-quality palliative care in rural communities

Nurses at critical access hospitals are well positioned to provide high-quality palliative care close to home for millions of Americans in rural communities, according to an article in the February issue of Critical Care Nurse.

2 Feb 2016

Palliative care improves care quality, reduces costs for advanced cancer patients with comorbidities

Patients with incurable cancer and numerous other serious health conditions who consulted with a palliative care team within two days of hospitalization had significant savings in hospital costs, according to a new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

7 Jan 2016