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.

Palliative care consultation may benefit heart failure patients

Symptomatic heart failure patients experience a high prevalence of pain and symptom burden akin to the experiences of cancer patients, say researchers, who report that a palliative care consultation in this population could reduce these factors.

20 Dec 2012

GW nursing professors receive three-year $790,000 gerontology grant from HHS

Beverly Lunsford, a George Washington University assistant professor of nursing, believes a health care crisis is brewing.

20 Dec 2012

Dedicated palliative care consults improve outcomes

Data from a long-term care facility in the USA indicate that a dedicated palliative care consult service results in a more favorable course of treatment and clinical outcomes for residents.

19 Dec 2012

Clock is ticking for insurance exchange implementation

The idea of a health insurance exchange as laid out in President Barack Obama's signature law seems straightforward: an online marketplace where people will shop for private health insurance, like buying an airline ticket or a hotel room.

19 Dec 2012

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center to expand its outpatient cancer facility

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center on the Banner Gateway campus will break ground in January 2013 on an expansion of its outpatient cancer facility, offering a new service and additional equipment and treatment areas to meet the needs of its rapidly growing patient population.

15 Dec 2012

Scientists discover FAIM molecule as potential biomarker for bone marrow cancer

Singapore scientists have identified FAIM, a molecule that typically prevents cell death, as a potential biomarker to identify an incurable form of cancer in the bone marrow.

14 Dec 2012

Massage could ease distress of brain cancer

Massage therapy can significantly reduce distress levels in individuals with brain tumors, indicating its potential use to improve quality of life in this population, report US researchers.

13 Dec 2012

Opioids already in the body can enhance malignant tendencies of human cancer cells

A study led by University of Chicago researcher Patrick A. Singleton, Ph.D. and published in the journal Anesthesiology has shown that, even without the addition of further opioids such as morphine, opioids already in the body can enhance the malignant tendencies of human cancer cells.

13 Dec 2012

Study calls for reform of Medicare reimbursement rates and hospice eligibility requirements

In the first national survey of enrollment policies at hospices, researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Yale University have found that the vast majority of hospices in the United States have at least one enrollment policy that could restrict access for terminally ill Medicare patients with high-cost medical needs.

5 Dec 2012

Hospice Compassus publicly reveals patient quality data

Hospice Compassus, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company that operates a nationwide network of hospice programs, has become the first hospice provider in the U.S. to publicly reveal patient quality data.

3 Dec 2012

McHenry County Caregivers Conference to be held on April 6, 2013

McHenry County Caregivers Conference, Saturday, April 6, 2013, presented by Elderwerks has pulled together professionals, care agencies and service organizations who help relieve and assist the caregiver.

3 Dec 2012

Palliative care needs expanding

Individuals with late-stage Parkinson's disease and other related motor disorders experience severe symptoms of physical and psychologic distress, suggesting that current care is falling short, say UK researchers.

29 Nov 2012

Hospice patients accepting of student examinations

The majority of hospice inpatients are happy to be examined by medical students, indicate the results of a UK study.

28 Nov 2012

Walden University announces recipients of six Nurses of the Year scholarships

Walden University today announced the recipients of six Nurses of the Year scholarships. The scholarships were awarded to nurses who are making a positive difference in the lives of their patients, in their organizations and to the future of nursing.

28 Nov 2012

New AAN book for people with primary and metastatic brain tumors

It is estimated that every 30 minutes, someone is diagnosed with brain cancer. Published in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology as part of the Neurology Now Books series, NAVIGATING LIFE WITH A BRAIN TUMOR provides readily accessible information and encouragement for the thousands of people living with primary and metastatic brain tumors.

16 Nov 2012