BMC GERIATRICS | Online – 15 October 2015 – Old and very old patients with advanced heart failure often do not acknowledge the seriousness and severity of the disease. Their communication with physicians predominantly focuses on curative treatment. Therefore, aspects such as self-management of the disease, dealing with emergency situations and end-of-life issues should be addressed more prominently. An advance care planning program for heart disease in older people could be an option to improve patient centered care.
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JOURNAL OF PALLIATIVE CARE & MEDICINE | Online – 25 September 2015 – Palliative home care in the Republic of Cyprus is limited to cancer patients and only provided by two non-governmental organizations, which offer free services to adults. Nurses employed by these charities support patients and assist families in the provision of necessary care. They play a vital role in helping to improve quality of life, using a holistic approach when addressing issues of concern and when helping to overcome the difficulties, which may arise from pain and other symptoms. They advocate best practice and strive to educate, not only patients and their caregivers, but also other healthcare professionals and the general public, in an effort to empower, ensure safety and promote good palliative care. Although these services have evolved since their onset in the 1980s there is a continuing need for improvement and expansion in order to ensure that 24 hour care is available for all, both adults and children, regardless of disease.
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JOURNAL OF RACIAL & ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES | Online – 28 September 2015 – African Americans and Hispanics receive disproportionately less aggressive non-critical treatment for chronic diseases than their Caucasian counterparts. However, when it comes to end-of-life care, minority races are purportedly treated more aggressively in Medical Intensive Care Units (MICU) and are more likely to die there. This study adds to the growing body of literature demonstrating that the relationship between race, patient preference, and the intensity of care provided in MICUs is multifaceted. Although prior studies have reported that non-white populations often opt for more aggressive care, the similar proportions of non-white and white “full code” patients in this study suggest that this idea is overly simplistic.
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THE ONCOLOGIST | Online – 28 September 2015 – The present survey of oncology specialists found that hematologic specialists were less likely than were solid tumor specialists to report that they would refer symptomatic patients with newly diagnosed cancer to palliative care. However, both groups were significantly more willing to refer patients early in the disease trajectory if the service name “supportive care” was used instead of “palliative care.” These findings suggest that rebranding might help to overcome the stigma associated with palliative care and improve patient access to palliative care services.
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PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTION, 2015; 24(2):79-82. When spiritual needs are effectively elaborated, they can help the individual to find meaning, sustain hope, and accept death in the context of the end of life. Counseling has been one of the therapies that is most used to meet these needs. The aim of this work is to offer evidence on the efficacy of this therapy to improve the spirituality of patients attended in several health devices. In order to achieve this objective, a three-week intervention was carried out with 131 home care and hospitalized patients. Results indicated a positive effect, with a large effect size. This study can be the starting point for the implementation of intervention programs in the context of palliative care.
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N.B. Spanish language article.
Media Watch is intended as an advocacy and research tool. The weekly report, published by Barry R. Ashpole, a Canadian communications consultant and educator, monitors the literature and the lay press on issues specific to the quality of end-of-life care. It is international in scope and distribution. Each month, this section of the IAHPC Newsletter will publish an abstract or summary of an article or report of special interest noted in a recent issue of Media Watch (see below).
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