Evaluation of Emergency Department Management of Opioid-Tolerant Cancer Patients With Acute Pain.

Context: There are no previously published studies examining opioid doses administered to opioid-tolerant cancer patients during emergency department (ED) encounters.

Objectives: To determine if opioid-tolerant cancer patients presenting with acute pain exacerbations receive adequate initial doses of as needed (PRN) opioids during ED encounters based on home oral morphine equivalent (OME) use.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of opioid-tolerant cancer patients who received opioids in our ED over a two-year period.

ICU versus Non-ICU Hospital Death: Family Member Complicated Grief, Posttraumatic Stress, and Depressive Symptoms.

Background: Family members of patients who die in an ICU are at increased risk of psychological sequelae compared to those who experience a death in hospice.

Objective: This study explored differences in rates and levels of complicated grief (CG), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression between family members of patients who died in an ICU versus a non-ICU hospital setting. Differences in family members' most distressing experiences at the patient's end of life were also explored.