"Do not resuscitate" (DNR) decisions were examined in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) of a 1,000-bed hospital. Seventy-one (14%) of 506 study patients were designated DNR; nine survived hospitalization. Severity of illness, age, and prior health…
The charity Together for Short Lives has launched a campaign to encourage nurses to consider a role in children's palliative care in the voluntary sector, to prevent any further reduction in services for this already vulnerable group.
SummaryAim To quantify any effect of Standardised Order Forms (SOFs), versus hand-written note entries for ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ – on the selection and survival of remaining cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts. Methods A…
What are social work's unique roles and functions in behalf of patients and their families in hospice care? The question is answered in the first phase of a Joint Research Project of social work faculty, hospice social workers and graduate social…
This article describes one nurse's experience resulting from her interest in the value of giving bereavement photographs to parents who experience a perinatal loss. Three families were interviewed about the meaning of those photographs. The parents…
In this retrospective study, a sample of 233 parents were surveyed, by means of a postal questionnaire, about their experience of a specialised paediatric retrieval service (median time interval after child's retrieval=10 months). Although all…
Despite a great deal of effort and many articles addressing the end-of-life care of children and adults in intensive care units,1 2 paediatricians continue to be confronted by parents wanting “everything done”. Such an appeal is often construed by…
The results of a novel approach to the use of ketamine in refractory cancer pain are reported. In this prospective, multicenter, unblinded, open-label audit, 39 patients (with a total of 43 pains) received a short duration (3 to 5 days) ketamine…
Is it necessary - and possible - to discuss death with a child in palliative phase? How should one approach the subject? A recent Swedish study demonstrated the benefits for parents who discussed with their child his or her imminent death, and raised…
Pain and cancer cannot be dissociated. A particular feature observed in children is that the child exhibits a certain psychomotor atony with increasing pain. The child complains less and less, making it difficult to recognize the degree of suffering…
When a child dies, the survivors-both parents and the remaining children—must adapt to a new reality. The immediate effect of sibling death is to precipitate grief and to increase the psychologic vulnerability of the remaining children. Communication…
OBJECTIVE: Computed tomography (CT) has gained widespread acceptance in the evaluation of children with suspected appendicitis. Concern has been raised regarding the long-term effects of ionizing radiation. Other means of diagnosing appendicitis,…
BACKGROUND: There is a need for close communication with relatives of patients dying in the intensive care unit (ICU). We evaluated a format that included a proactive end-of-life conference and a brochure to see whether it could lessen the effects of…
The present paper describes a cross-sectional study of the psychosocial adjustment of 143 children with severe disability and their families identified from a regional case register for children with special needs. Thirty-eight per cent of the…
Siblings of children with chronic illness or disability have been reported to have a 1.6 to 2.0 risk for behavioral and mental health problems. Our objective was to examine the effects of an intervention for siblings (age 7-15 years) of children with…
Long-term gastrostomy is a predictable intervention to ameliorate the effects of feeding and swallowing difficulties among children with severe spastic cerebral palsy. The evidence evaluating the efficacy and implications of the available gastrostomy…
The Grief Experience Inventory (GEI) and the MMPI were used to assess bereavement reactions in 102 newly bereaved individuals; 107 controls were also assessed. Intensities of bereavement reactions were compared across three types of deaths…
Recently, patient controlled analgesia (PCA) has gained prominence in the treatment of pain for children suffering from vaso-occlusive crisis associated with sickle cell disease. Because there are several different regimens that can be used for PCA,…
Adolescent health problems are often undetected in physicians' offices. The Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Information Project has developed a validated and reliable approach to identify adolescent health problems and initiate education in a…
The purpose of this article is to present a model of factors that may influence a child's response to a painful procedure when parents are distraction coaches during the procedure. Nonpharmacological interventions, in particular, distraction, and…
Constipation is prevalent in pediatric oncology patients because of treatment with vinca alkaloids and/or narcotics and lifestyle changes secondary to disease process. Sequelae of constipation include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain,…
Objectives. —To improve end-of-life decision making and reduce the frequency of a mechanically supported, painful, and prolonged process of dying.Design. —A 2-year prospective observational study (phase I) with 4301 patients followed by a 2-year…
The Delphi technique is an approach used to gain consensus among a panel of experts. This is normally achieved through a series of rounds where information is fed back to panel members using questionnaires. It has been used extensively within social…
Previous research indicated shared neurochemical substrates for gambling and psychostimulant reward. This suggests that dopamine substrates may directly govern the reinforcement process in pathological gambling. To investigate this issue, the present…
This study, using a Delphi approach, sought the opinion of a self-selected panel of 320 district nurses regarding research priorities for district nursing in Australia. Over three rounds of questionnaires, the 419 research clinical problem areas…
