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.

Initiating palliative care consult in emergency department reduces hospital length of stay: Study

New York University College of Nursing researcher and Assistant Professor Abraham A. Brody, RN, PhD, GNP-BC and colleagues reporting in Journal of Palliative Medicine found that initiating a palliative care consult in the emergency department reduced hospital length of stay when compared to patients who receive the palliative care consult after admission.

11 Dec 2013

COC launches first clinic on London's Harley Street for specialised cancer treatment

Care Oncology Clinic, an independent, private organisation providing oncology treatments, announces today the launch of its first clinic on London's Harley Street. Delivered by leading oncologists and palliative care doctors, the clinic is the first of its kind, specifically set up to offer a specialised cancer treatment by targeting the energy requirements of cancer cells using existing medicines that are already licensed for this purpose, have an acceptable safety profile and are low cost. Designed for patients for whom the standard oncology treatment regime is not available, viable, tolerable or providing benefit, this is a new option for treating these cancer patients.

10 Dec 2013

Study validates prognostic tool that determines risk of death within 1 year of hospital admission

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine validates a prognostic tool that determines risk of death within a year of hospital admission, helping doctors match treatments to patients' values and goals of care.

6 Dec 2013

Hospital prices -- biggest driver of medical inflation -- remain opaque

Nothing is more convoluted than hospital charges, which represent about a third of the nation's $2.7 trillion annual health care bill, reports The New York Times. Reuters finds that hospitals may quote prices for parking but not for procedures. Meanwhile, Kaiser Health News describes the trend in palliative care programs, designed to relieve pain and distress, regardless of how long a patient has to live.

4 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 3, 2013

Today's headlines include coverage of the mixed reviews regarding healthcare.gov's "relaunch" as well as the White House strategy to move past the website's difficulties.

3 Dec 2013

Customized palliative care can reduce health care costs, improve care for high-risk geriatric patients

For high-risk geriatric patients, improved palliative care that is matched to their changing needs at home can reduce emergency room visits, reduce health care costs, and improve overall care. Current gaps in policy and practice that block implementation of these beneficial customized care models are presented in the article "Research Priorities in Geriatric Palliative Care: Policy Initiatives," published in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

27 Nov 2013

Kindred Healthcare to acquire Synergy Home Care

Synergy Home Care, a premier home health care provider that operates through 17 locations in Louisiana, has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Kindred Healthcare, Inc. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2013, pending regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.

16 Nov 2013

Kaiser Permanente to open doors to brand new specialty center in Lone Tree, Colorado

After years of planning, construction and preparation, Kaiser Permanente will open the doors to a brand new specialty center in Lone Tree on December 2nd. This is the largest construction project and the most significant addition to the health plan's brick-and-mortar presence in Colorado in nearly a decade.

15 Nov 2013

Polymer for mending broken bones holds hope for delivering chemotherapy drugs to the brain

A polymer originally designed to help mend broken bones could be successful in delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to the brains of patients suffering from brain tumours, researchers at The University of Nottingham have discovered.

14 Nov 2013

New drug combination therapy effectively kills cancer cells

Results from a recent preclinical study have shown that a new drug combination therapy being developed at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center effectively killed colon, liver, lung, kidney, breast and brain cancer cells while having little effect on noncancerous cells. The results lay the foundation for researchers to plan a future phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of the therapy in a small group of patients.

6 Nov 2013

CME Medical helps healthcare professionals to gain confidence in end of life and palliative care

CME Medical, is helping healthcare professionals to gain confidence in caring for patients at the end of their lives. Managing end of life care is a challenge for all health staff, as it often involves dealing with complex and emotional communication with patients and relatives and managing patient symptoms. But now highly sophisticated mannequins – which can talk and simulate signs and symptoms of advanced illness – are being used in a pioneering and unique training programme in Birmingham.

30 Oct 2013

Palliative care often errantly reduced to end-of-life care

Palliative care, a specialized, multidisciplinary team approach to caring for seriously ill people and their families, is often errantly reduced to end-of-life care. This misconception has led to palliative care involvement being introduced late in an illness, often depriving patients and their families of comprehensive symptom control, support and assistance with complex decision-making throughout the course of their illness when it could provide the most benefit.

29 Oct 2013

UL research aims to improve diagnosis and management of delirium among palliative care patients

University of Limerick researchers have been awarded €175,000 to undertake research which aims to improve diagnosis and management of delirium, dementia and depression among palliative care patients.

28 Oct 2013

NIH awards $2.4M to develop innovative robots to aid people with visual and physical impairment

Three projects have been awarded funding by the National Institutes of Health to develop innovative robots that work cooperatively with people and adapt to changing environments to improve human capabilities and enhance medical procedures. Funding for these projects totals approximately $2.4 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds.

25 Oct 2013

OPTIMISTIC study aims to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, increase access to palliative care

The OPTIMISTIC study, an innovative initiative developed by research-clinicians from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute to improve health care, reduce avoidable hospitalizations and increase access to palliative care, is now underway in 19 nursing facilities throughout Central Indiana.

25 Oct 2013

Elderly people at increased risk for getting flu

Flu season lurks around the corner throughout the United States, and gerontologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say the elderly are at increased risk for getting the flu and often have a worse time coping with flu symptoms than do younger people.

24 Oct 2013

RWJF president receives 2013 Gustav O. Lienhard Award for pioneering efforts to control tobacco use

The Institute of Medicine today presented the 2013 Gustav O. Lienhard Award to Steven A. Schroeder, whose pioneering efforts to control tobacco use have helped save millions from premature, smoking-related deaths. The award also recognizes Schroeder's leadership in general medicine as well as his work to improve end-of-life care.

22 Oct 2013

Liverpool Care Pathway provides little clinical benefit for dying cancer patients

The first randomised trial to test the effectiveness of the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) programme, developed and implemented widely to support patients as they near death, has found little clinical benefit compared with standard care for cancer patients dying in hospital.

17 Oct 2013

Elderly patients who have diabetes are more likely to suffer from postoperative delirium, undergo longer surgery

Elderly surgical patients are more likely to suffer from debilitating post-operative delirium if they have diabetes, undergo longer surgery or respond poorly to stress, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2013 annual meeting.

15 Oct 2013

IBS Treatment Center opens new clinic in Santa Monica, California

The IBS Treatment Center, which specializes in treating irritable bowel syndrome, announced the opening of a new clinic in Santa Monica, California, in late October. Conveniently located next to the UCLA Medical Center, this new branch of the clinic will provide a progressive approach to digestive health as well as easy access to treatment for patients previously without adequate care.