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 program may complement patients' ongoing care with symptom management and support

Georgia Sue Huston knew she was really sick. Every time the 82-year-old woman tried to turn over in her bed in the coronary care unit at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, she’d panic because she couldn’t get enough air and because it hurt so much.

28 Jan 2010

Med-IC aims to improve health care for older adults

The Medicare Innovations Collaborative, or Med-IC, is a pilot program that will put some of the nation’s best ideas for improving health care for older adults into practice at hospitals around the country, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University announced.

28 Jan 2010

Day Kimball Healthcare selects athenaClinicals to improve care and outcomes for patients

athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of internet-based business services to physician practices, today announced that Day Kimball Healthcare has selected athenahealth’s electronic health record (EHR) service, athenaClinicalsSM, as part of a new clinical connectivity platform designed to improve care and outcomes for patients across its healthcare system.

27 Jan 2010

YM BioSciences' nimotuzumab Phase II trials: FDA advises patient enrollment

YM BioSciences Inc., announced that the FDA has advised the Company that it may now enroll patients at US clinical sites into two ongoing randomized, double-blind Phase II trials of its lead product, nimotuzumab. One of the two trials is in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who are ineligible for curative treatment and being treated palliatively and the other in patients with brain metastases from NSCLC. Current NSCLC palliative treatment and treatment for brain metastases is radiation alone.

27 Jan 2010

Doctors delay talking about end-of-life care

A study published this month finds doctors delay talking about end-of-life care, which often proves very costly. The Los Angeles Times reports: "Most doctors don't talk about end-of-life issues with their cancer patients when those patients are feeling well, a new survey has found." Physicians also tended to delay these conversations "until treatments have been exhausted. Those delays mean patients might not be able to make truly informed choices early in their treatment.

27 Jan 2010

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals commences patient treatment in Tavocept Phase III trial

BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the treatment of the first patients in a global multi-center Phase III clinical trial of Tavocept (BNP7787) in patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the lung, the most common type of lung cancer. In previous studies, Tavocept demonstrated the potential to substantially increase overall and one year patient survival while concurrently preventing and reducing the incidence and severity of common chemotherapy side-effects as compared to other currently available treatments for advanced lung cancer.

21 Jan 2010

Health care reform: Opportunities and challenges in palliative care

Opinion leaders in the field of palliative medicine explored the unparalleled opportunities that now exist for the palliative care community, which matches treatment to the desires of informed patients and their families, to help define evolving health care reform policy. The thought-provoking Roundtable discussion, "Palliative Medicine: Politics and Policy," is published online ahead of print in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..

18 Jan 2010

CKD patients do not receive adequate end-of-life care

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) often do not receive adequate end-of-life care and are unhappy with the medical decisions made as their conditions worsen, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings indicate that end-of-life care should be improved to meet the needs of CKD patients.

18 Jan 2010

ACP issues position paper to guide ethical relationships among patients, physicians and caregivers

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued a position paper to guide ethical relationships among patients, physicians, and caregivers.

13 Jan 2010

Kindred Healthcare announces plans for development of new centers

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (the “Company”) today announced plans for a replacement hospital, the opening of a new hospital, development of six new hospital-based subacute units and a new transitional care center in several of its key markets in Texas, Florida, California, Ohio, Indiana and Washington.

12 Jan 2010

MUHC unveils new Lung Cancer Navigation Program

A diagnosis of lung cancer can come as a hard blow. The disease has one of the highest mortality rates of all cancers and the sheer complexity of therapy - often involving radiation, chemotherapy and surgery - can leave patients feeling confused and isolated. To help these patients navigate through the complicated treatment process and medical appointments, the MUHC has unveiled its new Lung Cancer Navigation Program (LCNP).

8 Jan 2010

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Millions of Americans with significant or chronic pain associated with their medical problems are being under-treated as physicians increasingly fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment - either due to inadequate training, personal biases or fear of prescription drug abuse.

5 Jan 2010

Spiritual care can improve outcomes in terminally ill cancer patients

In a new study of terminally ill cancer patients, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found support of patients' spiritual needs by the medical team is associated with greater use of hospice, less aggressive care, and greater quality of life near death. The

16 Dec 2009

Saint Therese implements InSites Enterprise Visibility Platform

Intelligent InSites, Inc., the leading provider of real-time locating and sensing solutions, announced today that Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake (Saint Therese), a senior living community located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, has implemented the InSites Enterprise Visibility Platform™ as the resident care and staff response solution.

8 Dec 2009

JAK2 inhibitor can control myelofibrosis, report researchers

A first-in-its class oral medication provides significant and durable relief for patients with a rare, debilitating and lethal bone marrow disorder called myelofibrosis, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2009

New treatment options for leukemia and myeloproliferative disorders introduced

Leukemia and myeloproliferative disorders are serious and often deadly blood cancers. Research presented today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology introduces potential new treatment options and improved diagnostic methods for patients suffering from acute promyelocytic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelofibrosis that are based on a better understanding of the underlying genetic causes of these conditions.

6 Dec 2009

Pfizer announces a $9M cancer research collaboration in British Columbia

Pfizer is entering into a three-year, $9-million research collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Prostate Centre, a University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) Centre of Excellence, to tackle new treatment avenues for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. This is the single-largest investment by Pfizer into British Columbia's public research sector, and it recognizes the strength and world-class cancer expertise that resides in this province.

4 Dec 2009

New tool may allow doctors to predict long-term survival rates of dialysis patients

A new model can help physicians determine if a kidney disease patient on dialysis is likely to die within the next few months, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

4 Dec 2009

Care Support of America's outpatient palliative care coordination model improves the quality of life for seniors

Care Support of America's model of outpatient palliative care coordination, Advanced Illness Coordinated Care (AICC), has been shown to reduce hospitalizations in the last years of life as well as improve the quality of life for seniors and their family caregivers without increasing mortality. These are the principal findings of a new study published in American Journal of Managed Care (November 2009).

3 Dec 2009

Allina Hospitals selects Acuo Technologies' integrated medical imaging solution for improved patient care

Acuo Technologies, developers of high-performance medical image management software, data migration tools and services, today announced contracting with Allina Hospitals and Clinics for a new Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA), providing the foundation of image storage across the Allina network of hospitals, clinics and affiliates.

2 Dec 2009