Psychological interventions for emotional well-being in adults with advanced progressive life-limiting illness.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To determine the benefits and harms of psychological interventions compared to treatment as usual, waiting list, active control, or another psychological intervention to improve emotional well-being in adults with an advanced progressive life-limiting illness.

Exploratory study of frequent attenders in general practice to better understand why patients seek help.

Background: Frequent attenders (defined as the top 10% of health care users or those making ≥10 visits per year) account for 30-50% of GP consultations. This has significant resource implications.

Aim: To understand the characteristics of frequent attenders (≥18-years) at an outer London general practice (list 5,876; deprivation index 5 decile) and reasons for attending.

Do palliative care patients and relatives think it would be acceptable to use Bispectral index (BIS) technology to monitor palliative care patients' levels of consciousness? A qualitative exploration with interviews and focus groups for the I-CAN-CARE research programme.

Background: Bispectral index (BIS) monitoring uses electroencephalographic data as an indicator of patients' consciousness level. This technology might be a useful adjunct to clinical observation when titrating sedative medications for palliative care patients. However, the use of BIS in palliative care generally, and in the UK in particular, is under-researched.

Clinician estimates of prognosis: accuracy and impact-a retrospective inpatient hospice study.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy and impact of clinicians' estimates of prognosis (CEP) in patients referred for hospice inpatient care.

Methods: Retrospective review of 12 months' referrals to a London hospice unit. Data extracted included date of referral, admission and death and CEP.