Use and impact of a novel nurse-led consultation model in a palliative care consultation service for terminally ill cancer patients in Taiwan: an 11-year observational study.

Purpose: The early integration of palliative care for terminally ill cancer patients improves quality of life. We have developed a new nurse-led consultation model for use in a palliative care consultation service (PCCS) to initiate early palliative care for cancer patients.

Methods: In this 11-year observational study, data were collected from the Hospice-Palliative Clinical Database (HPCD) of Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH).

Terminally ill patients' and their relatives' experiences and behaviors regarding complementary and alternative medicine utilization in hospice palliative inpatient care units: a cross-sectional, multicenter survey.

Background: Terminally ill patients often experience exacerbations of diseases that render mainstream medicine ineffective in relieving symptoms, prompting attempts at complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This study collected data from terminally ill patients and their relatives to determine differences between CAM use, behavioral patterns, and perceptions of health information about CAM.

Methods: A cross-sectional design using a self-administered questionnaire was adopted.

Professionals' experiences and attitudes toward use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in hospice palliative inpatient care units: A multicenter survey in Taiwan.

Background: Medical staff may have difficulties in using conventional medicine to manage symptoms among terminally ill patients, including adverse effects of the treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as a complementary or alternative medicine, and has been increasingly used in the field of palliative medicine in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of and attitudes toward using TCM among palliative care professionals, and to provide preliminary information about its use in palliative care.

Factors affecting the place of death among hospice home care cancer patients in Taiwan.

Background: Some patients who receive hospice home care still end up dying in hospital. The significance of the variables possibly affecting the place of death in patients with terminal cancer who received hospice home care was examined.

Methods: Retrospective study.

Effects of alendronate combined with hormone replacement therapy on osteoporotic postmenopausal Chinese women.

To evaluate the effect of alendronate combined with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on postmenopausal osteoporotic Chinese women living in Taiwan, we treated 151 women (age range, 47-70 years; mean, 61 years) with conjugated equine estrogen (0.625 mg), medroxyprogesterone 5 mg, and elemental calcium 500 mg daily with either alendronate 10 mg (n = 79) or placebo (n = 72), and measured their bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and hip every 6 months for 3 years. Urine N-telopeptide of type I collagen corrected by concentration of urine creatinine (NTx/Cr) and serum osteocalcin (OC) concentration was also measured at weeks 2, 4, and every 3 months from month 3 for 2 years.