This retrospective study analysed data for 703 children who died from 2000 to 2006 to examine where children with a broad range of progressive, life-limiting illnesses actually die when families are able to access hospital, paediatric hospice…
ABSTRACT Introduction: The Pediatric Palliative Care Curriculum (PPCC) was introduced as a pilot study in response to the published need for increased pediatric education in end-of-life (EOL) care. The PPCC was designed to better train residents in…
In the last week of life, the daily opioid dose in children is highly variable, making the use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) a useful therapy option. Scientific data on the use of PCA in paediatric palliative care are rare.
BACKGROUND: In the last week of life, the daily opioid dose in children is highly variable, making the use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) a useful therapy option. Scientific data on the use of PCA in paediatric palliative care are rare.…
Pain and substance abuse co-occur frequently, and each can make the other more difficult to treat. A knowledge of pain and its interrelationships with addiction enhances the addiction specialist's efficacy with many patients, both in the substance…
Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIC (MPS IIIC, Sanfilippo C syndrome) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acetyl-CoA:alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT). We performed a clinical study on 29 Dutch MPS IIIC…
The death of a child is a traumatic event that can have long-term effects on the lives of parents. This study examined bereaved parents of deceased children (infancy to age 34) and comparison parents with similar backgrounds (n = 428 per group)…
BACKGROUND: Understanding patients' needs and perspectives is fundamental to improving end-of-life (EOL) care. However, little is known of what quality care means to patients who have advanced lung disease. OBJECTIVES: To describe ratings of…
Shadowing entails a researcher closely following a subject over a period of time to investigate what people actually do in the course of their everyday lives, not what their roles dictate of them. Behaviors, opinions, actions, and explanations for…
RECOMMENDATION 1: In patients with serious illness at the end of life, clinicians should regularly assess patients for pain, dyspnea, and depression. (Grade: strong recommendation, moderate quality of evidence.) RECOMMENDATION 2: In patients with…
OBJECTIVE: Studies of symptoms in children dying a cancer-related death typically rely on medical chart reviews or parental responses to symptom checklists. However, the mere presence of a symptom does not necessarily correspond with the distress it…
BACKGROUND: The impact of psychosocial research participation has not been examined systematically in palliative care settings. Concerns are often raised regarding the potential for distress among terminally ill patients. This is particularly true…
Based on a thorough and scientifically valid analysis of all relevant doubleblind randomized clinical trials (DBRCT), Neurontin is not an effective drug for thetreatment of neuropathic pain. My thorough review and meta-analysis of availablepublished…
The aim of this study was to review the evidence supporting the use of anti-depressants in painful rheumatological conditions. A systematic review of papers published between 1966 and 2007, in five European languages, on anti-depressants in…
The aspiration to design and conduct high-quality research in palliative care has been an important but elusive goal. The article evaluates the nature of research methodologies presented in published research within the broad remit of palliative…
Advance directives (ADs) might be useful in achieving improved communication and satisfaction with decision making at the end-of-life. Our aims were to better characterise patients with advanced oncological disease who decided to complete ADs and to…
BACKGROUND: Signs and symptoms of a common cold reported in young children are those perceived by caretakers. Objective signs include cough, fever, and sneezing. Subjective symptoms include nasal congestion, feverishness, headache, and sore throat.…
Psychosocial development in children with chronic disease is a key issue in paediatrics. This study investigated whether psychosocial adjustment could be reliably assessed with the 42-item Adolescent Adjustment Profile (AAP) instrument. The study…
BACKGROUND: As an increasing number of patients with chronic conditions of childhood survive to adulthood, experts recommend that young adults with chronic conditions transfer from child-focused to adult-focused primary care. Little, however, is…
Patients with severe neurological disorders often require enteral nutrition (EN). Since long-term EN can cause multiple complications, reinstating the oral intake of food is beneficial. Olfactory stimulation using black pepper oil (BPO), a strong…
OBJECTIVES: To review the concept of fatalism among African Americans by discussing how religiosity/spirituality may guide them in seeking cancer care in a positive rather than a fatalistic way. DATA SOURCES: Nursing, social science, and medical…
Purpose: Early screening and intervention for dysphagia is crucial to offset potential outcomes such as compromised nutrition or reduced respiratory function. Current paediatric dysphagia screening tests are subjective with poor sensitivity and…
OBJECTIVES: To examine withdrawal and limitation of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in an Australian paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to compare this experience with published data from other countries. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review…
BACKGROUND: Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is a rare lysosomal storage disease subdivided into three phenotypes of increasing severity: Scheie, Hurler-Scheie and Hurler. To gauge the effectiveness of treatments and to determine the load likely…
Congenital heart disease is the most frequently occurring birth defect. To date, more than 90% of the children born with a heart defect reach adulthood. Since many patients are prone to residua and sequelae, lifelong specialized care is required.…
BACKGROUND: Antiepileptic drugs are routinely given after craniotomy. Though phenytoin (PHT) is still the most commonly used agent, levetiracetam (LEV) is increasingly administered for this purpose. This retrospective study compared the use of LEV…
