Effectiveness of music therapy, aromatherapy, and massage therapy on patients in palliative care with end-of-life needs: A systematic review.

Background: Music therapy, aromatherapy and massage therapy are widely used in palliative care in patients near end-of-life with the aim to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life (QoL). Recent research shows an increase in popularity and use of complementary and integrative medicine however a more thorough evidence base about their usefulness is required.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the available evidence on the use of music therapy, aromatherapy and massage therapy in palliative and hospice care and summarize findings.

How neurosurgeons maintain and update their professional knowledge in a self-directed learning context.

Background: Given the changes in the current learning environment health professionals are facing major challenges to keep up with current and updated information with the rapidly growing clinical and scientific knowledge base. Being able to identify relevant, high-quality articles, adapt or adopt to new learning strategies with an already intense workload are just a few of the main challenges. Self-directed learning is a key skill of competent health professionals and describes the process by which individuals evaluate their learning needs, goals and the resources needed for learning, however the emerging problems for professionals practicing SDL are manifold.