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.

Earlier introduction of palliative care in advanced cancer patients associated with lower hospital costs

Earlier introduction of palliative care for patients hospitalized with advanced cancer is associated with lower hospital costs, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

9 Jun 2015

Contaminant particles emitted by vehicles have negative repercussions in children with respiratory illnesses

Particles of less than 2.5 microns emitted by vehicles have negative repercussions for bronchiolitis, pneumonia, asthma and bronchitis in children.

1 Jun 2015

WBRT associated with worse cognitive function than radiosurgery, shows study

Whole Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) is associated with significantly worse cognitive function than radiosurgery, and should no longer be used in the adjuvant setting after radiosurgery to treat cancer patients with brain metastases, according to a large study led by a researcher at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

1 Jun 2015

Spouses of patients receiving hospice care report reduced depression symptoms

Spouses of patients receiving hospice for three or more days more frequently reported reduced depression symptoms, compared to surviving spouses of patients who did not receive hospice, according to a study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published online today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

27 May 2015

Researchers find link between acute hospitalizations and disability among older adults at the end of life

Yale researchers found a close association between acute hospitalizations and the development and progression of disability among older adults at the end of life. Their findings may have profound implications for medical decision-making for older people and those who care for them.

21 May 2015

One-quarter of Americans over age 65 at risk to become elder orphans

With an aging Baby Boomer population and increasing numbers of childless and unmarried seniors, nearly one-quarter of Americans over age 65 are currently or at risk to become "elder orphans," a vulnerable group requiring greater awareness and advocacy efforts, according to new research by a North Shore-LIJ geriatrician and palliative care physician.

18 May 2015

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

The American Pain Society today honored the recipients of its annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers. Five multidisciplinary pain programs were recognized.

15 May 2015

Combination of contraceptive and cholesterol-lowering drugs kills cancer cells in a new way

The combination of a cholesterol-lowering drug, Bezafibrate, and a contraceptive steroid, Medroxyprogesterone Acetate, could be an effective, non-toxic treatment for a range of cancers, researchers at the University of Birmingham have found.

15 May 2015

Save the date: MEDICA and COMPAMED from 16 – 19 November 2015

Planning is already running at full blast for the MEDICA 2015 and COMPAMED 2015 being held in parallel...

13 May 2015

Perception of quality of care for the dying in U.S. worsens

Surveys of loved ones who lost elderly relatives show that the perception of the quality of care for the dying in the United States has worsened over the last decade. For all the health care industry has done to try to make progress, huge gaps remain between how care is delivered and what patients and their loved ones want, reports a new study in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

7 May 2015

Applying palliative care principles to transform geriatric emergency care may reduce hospital admissions

Applying palliative care principles to emergency departments may reduce the number of geriatric patients admitted to intensive care units, possibly extending lives and reducing Medicare costs, according to a three-year analysis by Mount Sinai researchers set to be published in the May edition of Health Affairs, which can be found online.

5 May 2015

Hartford Foundation grant to support evaluation of long-term nursing home resident care model

Approximately 1.4 million older adults in America live in nursing homes. A new grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation will enable clinician-researchers from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute and their partners, to prepare for the expansion of OPTIMISTIC, their long-term nursing home resident care model.

25 Apr 2015

UC San Diego, Scripps partner to improve patient care, physician training and research in hospice medicine

UC San Diego Health System and Scripps Health are partnering to provide improved continuity of patient care, fellowship training and research in hospice and palliative medicine. Under a new five-year agreement, Scripps will work with UC San Diego to provide outpatient and inpatient hospice care for UC San Diego patients, allowing UC San Diego physicians to better coordinate post-acute care for patients with chronic illness.

23 Apr 2015

Montefiore and Einstein researchers to present new findings on neurological disorders at AAN 2015

Researchers from Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine will present new findings on how to effectively treat migraine, and forecast the onset of pain in a number of neurological conditions including dementia in older adults.

21 Apr 2015

Agfa HealthCare announces commercial launch of new Enterprise Content Management system

Agfa HealthCare announced today the commercial launch of a new version of its Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system featuring improved workflow capabilities that facilitate the capture, archiving, access and sharing of any type of documents outside of the Imaging scope across the hospital enterprise.

15 Apr 2015

Study compares willingness of stage IV cancer patients and their caregivers in end-of-life scenarios

An illuminating study compares the willingness of stage IV cancer patients, and their caregivers; to pay to extend their lives by one year against that of other end-of-life improvements.

3 Apr 2015

Hospice of the Western Reserve, HMC Hospice of Medina County to jointly support people with progressive illness

Hospice of the Western Reserve and HMC Hospice of Medina County have signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore a strategic partnership of the not-for-profit organizations that offers comprehensive services for those who struggle with progressive illness. No immediate workforce reductions at either agency are planned.

30 Mar 2015

2015 Minds Matter event raises funds to support brain tumor research

One day in 2009, Maria Nijim's father got behind the wheel of his car and realized he couldn't see out of one eye. An MRI showed a tumor and then surgery confirmed a devastating diagnosis – glioblastoma – the most aggressive type of brain tumor.

25 Mar 2015

Study shows link between palliative care knowledge and less end-of-life disruption

When a nursing home patient is dying, aggressive interventions such as inserting a feeding tube or sending the patient to the emergency room can futilely exacerbate, rather than relieve, their distress. Palliative care focuses nursing home resources on providing comfort at the end of life, but nursing directors vary widely in their knowledge of it.

23 Mar 2015

Study shows how PDT for pancreatic cancer can be included in physician practice without significant cost

Late stage pancreatic cancer benefits from photodynamic therapy (PDT) but the resources needed for the usual accompanying dosimetry present barriers, Dartmouth researchers Jonathan T. Elliott, PhD and Brian C. Pogue, PhD have mitigated by using common clinical technologies.