Burnout in Home Palliative Care: What Is the Role of Coping Strategies?

Objective: The study examines psychophysical distress of health-care professionals providing home-based palliative care. The aim is to investigate potential correlations between dimensions of burnout and different coping strategies.

Methods: The present study is an observational cross-sectional investigation.

Impact of intervention aimed at improving the integration of oncology units and local palliative care services: results of the multicentre prospective sequential MIRTO study.

Background: Chemotherapy (CT) in patients with advanced cancer (ACP) near the end of life is an increasing practice of oncology units. A closer integration with palliative care (PC) services could reduce the use of potentially harmful CT. This prospective study is aimed at assessing whether a more integrated care model could reduce CT use near the end of life and increase local PC service utilisation.

Gianni Bonadonna: A Tribute.

The authors celebrate the life of the late Gianni Bonadonna, who made several pioneering contributions to the field of oncology. In addition to his research in breast cancer and lymphoma, Bonadonna worked tirelessly to foster cooperation in the scientific community and preserve the dignity of his patients.

Associations between caregiving worries and psychophysical well-being. An investigation on home-cared cancer patients family caregivers.

Purpose: Caregiving to a family member with cancer might have health implications. However, limited research has investigated the psychophysical health of home-cared cancer patients family caregivers. In a previous study, we have found that a prolonged worry in daily life is a crucial variable compared to caregivers' psychophysical symptomatology.

Transdermal opioids for cancer pain control in patients with renal impairment.

Objectives: As guidelines for opioid use in renal-impaired patients with cancer are limited, the authors sought to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability, of transdermal buprenorphine for moderate/severe cancer pain in renal-impaired outpatients.

Methods: In a prospective parallel-group active-controlled study, n = 42 consecutively recruited outpatients with or without renal impairment (serum creatinine ≥1.3 or ≤1.

Home artificial nutrition in advanced cancer patients.

Aims And Background: Malnutrition is over 50% in advanced cancer patients and is related to a decreased survival. Cachexia is the first reason for death in 4-23% of cases. The aim of the study was to estimate the appropriateness of the criteria to select patients for home artificial nutrition and its effectiveness to avoid death from cachexia and to improve quality of life in patients with advanced cancer assisted at home by the National Tumor Association (ANT) Foundation.

Worry as a risk factor for mental and somatic diseases. A research on home-cared cancer patients family caregivers.

Objective: Cancer patients family caregivers are exposed to several physical and emotional distress. Many recent reviews have provided strong evidence linking negative affective states and dispositions to disease. Moreover, several recent studies suggested that perseverative cognition, as manifested in worry, plays a role in nearly all anxiety disorders and is a crucial factor in somatic health as well.

The National Tumor Association Foundation (ANT): A 30 year old model of home palliative care.

Background: Models of palliative care delivery develop within a social, cultural, and political context. This paper describes the 30-year history of the National Tumor Association (ANT), a palliative care organization founded in the Italian province of Bologna, focusing on this model of home care for palliative cancer patients and on its evaluation.

Methods: Data were collected from the 1986-2008 ANT archives and documents from the Emilia-Romagna Region Health Department, Italy.