Cross-disciplinary advance care planning in oncology and palliative care amidst a pandemic: a best practice implementation project.

Introduction: Advance care planning (ACP) ensures that patients receive medical care aligned with their values, goals, and preferences, especially regarding end-of-life decisions in serious chronic illnesses.

Objective: This project aimed to introduce and promote evidence-based ACP in oncology and palliative care at a midsized hospital near Berlin, Germany, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This project was guided by the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework and used a mixed methods audit cycle.

"Let's put it this way: you can't really live without it" - digital technologies in routine palliative care delivery: an explorative qualitative study with patients and their family caregivers in Germany.

Background: Despite ongoing efforts to integrate palliative care into the German healthcare system, challenges persist, particularly in areas where infrastructure does not fully support digital technologies (DT). The increasing importance of digital technology (DT) in palliative care delivery presents both opportunities and challenges.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the perspectives and preferences of palliative care patients and their family caregivers regarding the use of DT in care delivery.

Digital technologies in routine palliative care delivery: an exploratory qualitative study with health care professionals in Germany.

Objective: To explore health care professionals' (HCPs) perspectives, experiences and preferences towards digital technology use in routine palliative care delivery.

Methods: HCPs (n = 19) purposively selected from a sample of settings that reflect routine palliative care delivery (i.e.

Mental and Physical Well-Being and Burden in Palliative Care Nursing: A Cross-Setting Mixed-Methods Study.

The working routines in palliative care nursing are associated with a variety of causes of stress with regional and setting-specific differences in Germany. This mixed-methods study aimed to investigate the mental and physical well-being among nurses in German palliative and hospice care and to gain a deeper understanding of procedural and structural aspects that may influence the mental and physical burden in palliative nursing care. The mixed-methods approach combined qualitative interviews, ( = 16) an online survey ( = 101), and subsequent data validation in a focus group ( = 6).

Impact of molecular alterations on quality of life and prognostic understanding over time in patients with incurable lung cancer: a multicenter, longitudinal, prospective cohort study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate changes over time in quality of life (QoL) in incurable lung cancer patients and the impact of determinants like molecular alterations (MA).

Methods: In a prospective, longitudinal, multicentric study, we assessed QoL, symptom burden, psychological distress, unmet needs, and prognostic understanding of patients diagnosed with incurable lung cancer at the time of the diagnosis (T0) and after 3 (T1), 6 (T2) and 12 months (T3) using validated questionnaires like FACT-L, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer (DT), PHQ-4, SCNS-SF-34, and SEIQoL.

Results: Two hundred seventeen patients were enrolled, 22 (10%) with reported MA.

Symptom Burden and Palliative Care Needs of Patients with Incurable Cancer at Diagnosis and During the Disease Course.

Background: Although current guidelines advocate early integration of palliative care, symptom burden and palliative care needs of patients at diagnosis of incurable cancer and along the disease trajectory are understudied.

Material And Methods: We assessed distress, symptom burden, quality of life, and supportive care needs in patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer in a prospective longitudinal observational multicenter study. Patients were evaluated using validated self-report measures (National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer [DT], Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy [FACT], Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life [SEIQoL-Q], Patients Health Questionnaire-4 [PHQ-4], modified Supportive Care Needs Survey [SCNS-SF-34]) at baseline (T0) and at 3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 months (T3) follow-up.

Symptoms and Needs of Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer: Early Prevalence Assessment.

Background: Little is known on symptom burden, psychosocial needs, and perception of prognosis in advanced lung cancer patients at the time of diagnosis, although early assessment is strongly recommended within the setting of daily routine care.

Methods: Twelve study sites cross-sectionally assessed symptoms and psychosocial needs of patients suffering from newly diagnosed incurable lung cancer. Assessment comprised NCCN distress thermometer, FACT-L, SEIQoL-Q, PHQ-4, and shortened and modified SCNS-SF-34 questionnaires.