The usage of family audiobooks as a legacy for grieving children - an exploratory quantitative analysis among terminally ill parents and close persons.

Background: Since 2017, terminally ill parents with dependent children under the age of 18 have been able to record an audiobook for their dependent children. This service allows them to narrate how they would like to be remembered in their voice. The family audiobook is a professionally supported, voluntary, free service that is unique in Germany.

Meaning in life of terminally ill parents with minor children compared to palliative care patients - a quantitative analysis using SMiLE.

Background: Caring for terminally ill patients with minor children can be very stressful. The perceived quality of life is significantly influenced by the Meaning in Life (MiL). No studies were found that focus on the prioritized special needs of this patient group.

Development of Care Pathway for Assessment and Treatment of Fatigue in Palliative Care.

Objectives: Fatigue is a frequent and burdensome symptom in patients with advanced disease in palliative care. However, it is under-assessed and undertreated in clinical practice, even though many treatment options have been identified in systematic reviews. Care pathways with defined and standardised steps have been recommended for effective management in the clinical setting.

[Postoperative pain experience after proximal femur fracture in dementia].

Background: The present study aimed to assess the postoperative pain experience in cognitive deficit patients with special reference to sensory or affective pain quality.

Methods: Nineteen patients with normal cognition up to cognitive impairments according to the DemTect screening-tool were studied regarding their postoperative pain experience after proximal femur fracture. The numerical rating scale (NRS), the cognitive DemTect questionnaire, the pain sensation questionnaire (SES), and a quantitative sensory test (QST) were used as examination instruments.

Audiobooks from terminally ill parent for their children - a qualitative evaluation.

Background: Improving the quality of life is one of the main objectives of palliative care. Biographical approaches are often used in combination with leaving a legacy in a range of different interventions such as Dignity Therapy or Life Review. This study presents an evaluation of audiobook biographies for palliative care patients with young children.

Fatigue in advanced disease associated with palliative care: A systematic review of non-pharmacological treatments.

Background: Fatigue is a common complaint reported by patients with advanced disease, impacting their daily activities and quality of life. The pathophysiology is incompletely understood, and evidence-based treatment approaches are needed.

Aim: This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions as treatment for fatigue in advanced disease.

Volunteers in a biography project with palliative care patients - a feasibility study.

Background: Increasing the quality of life with short interventions for vulnerable patients is one of the objectives of palliative care. Biographical approaches are used in a range of different interventions which may require considerable resources of staff time and energy. This study evaluated the feasibility of training hospice volunteers in biographical interviews of patients confronted with a life-limiting disease.

Quality of life in patients with midgut NET following peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.

Objectives: There is convincing evidence that peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) using Lu-DOTATATE compared to octreotide therapy has a positive effect on overall survival and progression-free survival in midgut neuroendocrine tumors (NET). The current study analyzed health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients undergoing PRRT with a special focus on differences in functional performance.

Materials And Methods: In our study, 70 patients (39 men or 31 female) suffering from midgut NET were included, with a mean age of 64.

Clinical Effectiveness and Potential Survival Benefit of US-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Therapy in Patients with Advanced-Stage Pancreatic Cancer.

Purpose:  Pancreatic cancer (PaC) is a life-limiting tumor with a wide range of incapacitating symptoms such as cancer pain in more than 80 % of patients. This prospective interventional study addresses the clinical effectiveness of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for patients with advanced-stage PaC, including pain perception, tumor size and survival benefit.

Materials And Methods:  50 patients with late-stage PaC underwent HIFU.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of cannabinoids in palliative medicine.

We provide a systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of cannabinoids in palliative medicine. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and http://clinicaltrials.gov, and a selection of cancer journals were searched up until 15th of March 2017.

Improving quality of life in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor following peptide receptor radionuclide therapy assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30.

Introduction: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have proven to be appropriate neoplasms for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), as the majority of these slow-growing malignancies overexpress somatostatin receptors. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in quality of life (QoL) of patients with P-NET following PRRT.

Methods: Sixty-eight patients with P-NET (31 female, mean age 61.

Measurement of Quality of Life in Palliative Care: Evidence for Criterion-Oriented Validity of a Single-Item Approach.

Background: Assessment of quality of life is of central importance in palliative care to understand patients' needs and improve their treatment. However, due to the severely compromised state of health of the severely ill or dying patients, the possibility of an adequate assessment with longer questionnaires is limited.

Objective: Investigation of the criterion-oriented validity of a single item to measure quality of life in palliative care patients.

A systematic review on the role of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other supplements for the treatment of cachexia in cancer: a European Palliative Care Research Centre cachexia project.

We provide a systematic review to support the European Palliative Care Research Collaboration development of clinical guidelines for cancer patients suffering from cachexia. CENTRAL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov, and a selection of cancer journals have been searched up until 15 April 2016.

[Anxiety in progressive disease].

Anxiety in terminally ill patients has a high impact on symptoms, trajectory and quality of life. There are different screening instruments for diagnosis. The holistic approach of palliative care considers the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs and can improve the distress caused by anxiety.

Pharmacological treatments for fatigue associated with palliative care: executive summary of a Cochrane Collaboration systematic review.

Background: In palliative care patients, fatigue can be severely debilitating and is often not counteracted with rest, thereby impacting daily activity and quality of life. Further complicating issues are the multidimensionality, subjective nature and lack of a consensus definition of fatigue. The review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacological treatments for fatigue in palliative care, with a focus on patients at an advanced stage of disease, including patients with cancer and other chronic diseases.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for pancreatic carcinoma: evaluation of feasibility, reduction of tumour volume and pain intensity.

Objectives: Prognosis of patients with locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma is extremely poor. They often suffer from cancer-related pain reducing their quality of life. This prospective observational study aimed to evaluate feasibility, local tumour response, and changes in quality of life and symptoms in Caucasian patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer treated by ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

Pharmacological treatments for fatigue associated with palliative care.

Background: This review updates the original review, 'Pharmacological treatments for fatigue associated with palliative care' and also incorporates the review 'Drug therapy for the management of cancer-related fatigue'.In healthy individuals, fatigue is a protective response to physical or mental stress, often relieved by rest. By contrast, in palliative care patients' fatigue can be severely debilitating and is often not counteracted with rest, thereby impacting daily activity and quality of life.

Evidence of heterosynaptic LTD in the human nociceptive system: superficial skin neuromodulation using a matrix electrode reduces deep pain sensitivity.

Long term depression (LTD) is a neuronal learning mechanism after low frequency stimulation (LFS). This study compares two types of electrodes (concentric vs. matrix) and stimulation frequencies (4 and 30 Hz) to examine homo- and heterosynaptic effects indirectly depicted from the somatosensory profile of healthy subjects.