Evaluation of a program to celebrate seasonal events for Japanese hospice patients.

Objective: Palliative care of the terminally ill requires not only treatment of physical pain, but also care for a patient's spiritual and social needs. In Japan, where many customs correlate closely with the seasons of fall, winter, spring, and summer, seasonal events carry significance for patients who have reached a terminal stage of disease. This study determined how Japanese hospice patients evaluate a program that celebrates seasonal events and considers the modality and significance of season events at hospices.

Efficacy and safety of palliative sedation therapy: a multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted on specialized palliative care units in Japan.

Although palliative sedation therapy is often required in terminally ill cancer patients, its efficacy and safety are not sufficiently understood. The primary aims of this multicenter observational study were to 1) explore the efficacy and safety of palliative sedation therapy, and 2) identify the factors contributing to inadequate symptom relief and complications, using a prospective study design, clearly defined measurement methods, and a consecutive sample from 21 specialized palliative care units in Japan. A sample of 102 consecutive adult cancer patients who received continuous deep sedation were enrolled.

Ethical validity of palliative sedation therapy: a multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted on specialized palliative care units in Japan.

Although palliative sedation therapy is often required in terminally ill cancer patients to achieve acceptable symptom relief, empirical data supporting the ethical validity of this approach are lacking. The primary aim of this study was to systematically investigate whether empirical evidence supports the ethical validity of sedation. This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study, which was conducted by 21 specialized palliative care units in Japan.