Validity, reliability and responsiveness to change of the Italian palliative care outcome scale: a multicenter study of advanced cancer patients.

Background: There is an increasing requirement to assess outcomes, but few measures have been tested for advanced medical illness. We aimed to test the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Palliative care Outcome Scale (POS), and to analyse predictors of change after the transition to palliative care.

Methods: Phase 1: multicentre, mixed method study comprising cognitive and qualitative interviews with patients and staff, cultural refinement and adaption.

[Caring pathways of terminal cancer patients: a retrospective survey].

Caring pathways of terminal cancer patients: a retrospective survey. Introduction. The caring patways of terminal cancer patients of the Vallagarina district, dead in 2008, cared at home and/or by district services in the last 90 days of life of cancer patients, were retrospectively described.

[The participation in a clinical trial on pressure ulcer as an opportunity for education].

Participating to a clinical trial is not a common experience for nurses involved in the care of chronic patients. The experiences, reflections and lessons learnt by a group of nurses involved in the PARI study, a double blind randomised clinical trial on the efficacy of treatment of pressure sores are reported. The main problems and obstacles in participating to the study (asking informed consent to the patients; the organization of an 8 weeks follow up) are analysed.

[A double blind randomised clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the treatments of the superficial pressure sores].

In spite of the progresses of knowledge and care, pressure sores continue to be a clinically relevant problem. A double blind randomised controlled trial was organised to assess the efficacy of triticum vulgaris (Fitostimoline) vs placebo in the re-epithelisation of superficial pressure sores. Patients with stage NPUAP II or superficial pressure sores, with an expected survival of more than 3 months and eligible for a follow-up up to 8 weeks were included, over a period of 2 years in 46 clinical sites.