Browse Items (324 total)

OBJECTIVE: This paper identifies key features associated with high-quality educational materials for end-of-life curriculum. METHODS: The End of Life Physician Education Resource Center (EPERC), located on the Internet at provides a clearinghouse for…

PURPOSE: Despite multiple efforts to improve the experience for dying patients, researchers still struggle to identify appropriate outcome measures that assess patients' and families' experiences. If health care systems are to provide excellent,…

BACKGROUND: The growth of palliative care research has been limited by challenges of slow recruitment and underenrollment. One potential solution to this problem is the use of screening questions embedded in clinical data collection, which identify…

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines are systematically developed statements that influence medical practice, education, and funding. Guidelines represent the consensus of leaders, often based on systematic reviews of the literature, regarding the "state…

Infants (less than 1 year of age) have the highest death rates in the pediatric population, yet there is little published on hospice utilization for infant home deaths. We sought to describe: (1) where infants with a predisposing life-threatening…

In 1997, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was enacted, allowing physicians to prescribe lethal dosages of medication to competent, terminally ill patients who request them. To improve our understanding of physicians' reactions to requests for…

CONTEXT: Review of published research indicates the need to better incorporate patient and caregiver perceptions when providing end-of-life (EOL) care. Although considerable research regarding patient and caregiver experience of EOL has been done,…

OBJECTIVE: To develop a conceptual model of family caregiver beliefs and behavior related to nutritional care of the terminally ill by examining the perspectives of family members, patients, and health care providers. DESIGN: Qualitative study using…

The use of standardized patients (SPs) is an emerging strategy in palliative care education. We have used this strategy to provide pediatric residents with a structured educational experience focused on effectively communicating bad news and…

In recent years a better understanding of the pharmacologic and pharmacokinetic properties of methadone, including equianalgesic ratios has led to its increased use as a second line opioid for the treatment of pain in patients with cancer. Methadone…

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a palliative care clinic (PCC), which provided some of the interdisciplinary services and expertise of an inpatient consult service to outpatients, in traditional clinic sessions. DESIGN: Chart review. SETTING: A…

BACKGROUND: Parental feelings of guilt can be a serious problem after the death of a child to a malignancy. This study identified predictors of feelings of guilt in parents during the year after a child's death. METHODS: The Swedish Cause of Death…

OBJECTIVE: To implement and evaluate a quality improvement program of interdisciplinary palliative care education and support intended to increase the competence, confidence and ability to manage personal grief of health care professionals caring for…

PURPOSE: This paper presents the components of a pediatric palliative care demonstration program implemented in Seattle during the period 1999-2001. It reports findings from the evaluation of quality of life and family satisfaction among enrolled…

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical and demographic factors affecting the nature of end-of-life decisions and pediatric palliative care. DESIGN: Charts of 236 expired children were retrospectively reviewed for presence of endof- life care (EOLC)…

BACKGROUND: Although in-depth interviewing is well suited to studying the sensitive topic of end-of-life decision making, no reports have been published assessing the effects on parents of participating in interviews regarding end-of-life decision…

OBJECTIVES: Develop a prediction model to identify persons who have an increased risk of dying within the next 36 months, in order to focus additional resources and assessment in areas related to advanced care planning. DESIGN: Retrospective study…

OBJECTIVES: To assess parents' and health care providers' perceptions of the name and description of a pediatric palliative care (PPC) program. METHODS: Survey conducted at three pediatric health care sites; asked respondents (parents and staff)…

The death of a child alters the life and health of others immediately and for the rest of their lives. How a child dies influences parents' abilities to continue their role functions as well as siblings' abilities to make and maintain friendships,…

This paper discusses the state of the science in prospective measurement in end-of-life research and identifies particular areas for focused attention. Topics include defining the scope of inquiry, evaluating experiences of patients too ill to…

The goal of good palliative care is to relieve suffering and to improve quality of life. However, it is clear that access to palliative care is inconsistent. At least in part, these deficiencies exist because of a lack of solid evidence on which to…

Cachexia is a disturbing and disfiguring aspect of many advanced cancers. Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a controversial and expensive treatment for cancer cachexia. Guidelines for the use of PN for these patients have been suggested. These two case…

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to understand how caregivers make the transition to end-stage caregiving and to illuminate its unique aspects using a stress process model. METHODS: Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 74 caregivers of a…

BACKGROUND: Accurate prognostication of the trajectory of an illness provides multiple benefits in end-of-life care. Prognostic information facilitates more realistic decision making regarding ongoing treatment, fosters risk-benefit considerations of…

BACKGROUND: The VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) started a palliative care service (PCS) in October 2001 to provide case management for patients with advanced cancer. OBJECTIVE: To examine resource use during the last 60 days of life for…

This report describes the multiple complementary analytic methods used to create a composite evaluation of the benefits of a hospital-based inpatient palliative care consultation service at Montefiore Medical Center in its preliminary phase. We…

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