Some differences between social work, spiritual care, and psychology: Content variance in end-of-life conversations.

Objectives: Within the multidisciplinary team, there can sometimes be lack of clarity as to the specific different contributions of each of the psycho-social-spiritual professionals: social workers, psychologist, and spiritual caregivers. This study examined the content of their end-of-life conversations with patients.

Methods: A total of 180 patients with terminal cancer received standard multidisciplinary care, including conversations with a social worker, psychologist, and spiritual caregiver.

Associations Between Psycho-Social-Spiritual Interventions, Fewer Aggressive End-of-Life Measures, and Increased Time After Final Oncologic Treatment.

Background: Little is known about the impact of spiritual caregivers, psychologists, and social workers on desired end-of-life (EoL) medical outcomes, such as reduced use of aggressive care in the final 2 weeks of life, having more time between the last active oncological treatment and death, and increased hospice use.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 180 patients with cancer and their families, their interactions with social work, psychology, and spiritual care, and the above three treatment outcomes.

Results: We found that having one or more spiritual care visits (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.

The Effects of Dosage-Controlled Cannabis Capsules on Cancer-Related Cachexia and Anorexia Syndrome in Advanced Cancer Patients: Pilot Study.

Cancer-related cachexia and anorexia syndrome (CACS) is a common phenomenon in cancer patients. Cannabis has been suggested to stimulate appetite but research on this issue has yielded mixed results. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of dosage-controlled cannabis capsules on CACS in advanced cancer patients.

Silicone Foam Dressing for Prevention of Sacral Deep Tissue Injuries Among Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of silicone foam dressings, placed preoperatively, on the incidence of postoperative sacral deep-tissue pressure injuries.

Design, Setting, And Patients: An uncontrolled before-and-after quality improvement method was used. Within a single, urban academic medical center, consecutively admitted adult cardiac surgery patients were included in the pre- and postintervention groups; only those receiving elective procedures were included.

Medical students' attitudes towards participating in a palliative medicine course: A new specialty in Israel.

Background: Palliative medicine is a growing field in Israel, and its training program is still in process. The current study aimed to evaluate students' attitudes regarding a course in palliative care established in a division of oncology.

Method: Some 45 medical students in their 5th to 6th years participated in a one-week course on palliative care.