Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain: Comparison of Pain Classification Features and Pain Intensity across Diverse Palliative Care Settings in Canada.

The goal of the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain (ECS-CP) is to create an international classification system for cancer pain. Previous studies reinforce the need for standardized training to ensure consistency across assessors. There is no universally accepted classification for neuropathic pain.

Systematic review of factors associated with hope in family carers of persons living with chronic illness.

Aims: To identify factors associated with hope in family carers of persons living with chronic illness.

Design: A systematic review of quantitative and mixed method studies on hope in carers of persons living with chronic illness.

Data Sources: Five electronic databases (Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations and PsycINFO) were searched from inception to 13 July 2020.

A mixed-method evaluation of a volunteer navigation intervention for older persons living with chronic illness (Nav-CARE): findings from a knowledge translation study.

Background: Volunteer navigation is an innovative way to help older persons get connected to resources in their community that they may not know about or have difficulty accessing. Nav-CARE is an intervention in which volunteers, who are trained in navigation, provide services for older persons living at home with chronic illness to improve their quality of life. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of Nav-CARE on volunteers, older persons, and family participating across eight Canadian sites.

Sustainability of a rural volunteer program (Nav-CARE): a case study.

Introduction: Nav-CARE (Navigation: Connecting, Accessing, Resourcing and Engaging) is an evidence-based program that was implemented over 1 year in a rural community in western Canada. Nav-CARE uses volunteers who are trained in navigation to facilitate access to resources and provide social support to older persons living in the community with serious illness such as cancer, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Following implementation in which Nav-CARE was found to be feasible, acceptable and have positive outcomes, Nav-CARE was integrated into the local community-based hospice society program.

A Feasibility Study of a Volunteer Navigation Program in the Palliative Context.

Aims: This mixed methods longitudinal study evaluated Nav-CARE for feasibility, acceptability, ease of use, and satisfaction by older persons and volunteers.

Methods: Nine volunteer navigators visited 23 older persons with serious illness every 3 to 4 weeks for 1 year. Data were collected from volunteer navigators, and older person participants at baseline, during the year- long implementation and post implementation.

Study protocol: pragmatic randomized control trial of my tools 4 care- in care (MT4C-in care) a web-based tool for family Carers of persons with dementia residing in long term care.

Background: When a family member resides in long term care facility (LTC), family carers continue caregiving and have been found to have decreases in mental health. The aim of My Tools 4 Care - In Care (an online intervention) is to support carers of persons living with dementia residing in LTC through transitions and increase their self-efficacy, hope, social support and mental health. This article comprises the protocol for a study to evaluate My Tools 4 Care-In Care (MT4C-In Care) by asking the following research questions: 1) Is there a 2 month (immediately post-intervention) and 4 month (2 months post-intervention) increase in mental health, general self-efficacy, social support and hope, and decrease in grief and loneliness, in carers of a person living with dementia residing in LTC using MT4C-In CARE compared to an educational control group? 2) Do carers of persons living with dementia residing in LTC perceive My Tools 4 Care- In Care helps them with the transitions they experience?

Methods: This study is a single blinded pragmatic mixed methods randomized controlled trial.

A Retrospective Thematic Analysis of Patient, Family, and Staff Creative Art Tiles Developed on a Tertiary Palliative Care Unit.

Objectives: Clinical use of the creative arts in palliative care is well established, yet there are few evaluation studies of these programs.

Methods: In this first phase of a 3-phase evaluation of a creative arts program entitled "Tile Tales," we conducted a retrospective thematic analysis of 85 painted tiles and accompanying stories that were publically displayed on a tertiary palliative care unit. Each story was independently coded, using content analysis.

Transcultural Validation of the French Version of the Modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale: The ESAS12-F.

Cancer-related physical symptoms can decrease patients' overall quality of life and are often underdiagnosed. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) is widely used in palliative care for cancer patients to easily assess cancer patients' symptoms. It has been often modified, adding symptoms and explanations, and translated into many languages.

Using focus groups to explore caregiver transitions and needs after placement of family members living with dementia in 24-hour care homes.

Family caregivers (defined broadly as family and friends) of persons with dementia are challenged to cope with myriad stressors and changes that occur along the dementia trajectory. The purpose of this study was to explore the transitions experienced by caregivers of persons with dementia after their relative relocated to a 24-hour care home. Qualitative thematic and conversational analysis were used: themes were co-created and modes of speech and syntactical patterns analysed to expose discourses related to caregiving after placement in 24-hour care homes.

Mixed-methods single-arm repeated measures study evaluating the feasibility of a web-based intervention to support family carers of persons with dementia in long-term care facilities.

Background: Following institutionalization of a relative with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD), family carers continue to provide care. They must learn to negotiate with staff and navigate the system all of which can affect their mental health. A web-based intervention, My Tools 4 Care-In Care (MT4C-In Care) was developed by the research team to aid carers through the transitions experienced when their relative/friend with ADRD resides in a long-term care (LTC) facility.

Feasibility Study of an Online Intervention to Support Male Spouses of Women With Breast Cancer.

Purpose/objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of a web-based psychosocial supportive intervention entitled Male Transition Toolkit (MaTT). 
.

Design: Randomized, controlled trial, mixed methods, concurrent feasibility design.

Continuous Palliative Sedation for Existential Distress? A Survey of Canadian Palliative Care Physicians' Views.

Background: Palliative sedation can be used for refractory symptoms during end-of-life care. However, continuous palliative sedation (CPS) for existential distress remains controversial due to difficulty determining when this distress is refractory.

Objectives: The aim was to determine the opinions and practices of Canadian palliative care physicians regarding CPS for existential distress.

A metasynthesis study of family caregivers' transition experiences caring for community-dwelling persons with advanced cancer at the end of life.

Background: Family caregivers (broadly defined as family and friends) experience multiple concurrent transitions when caring for a person with advanced cancer.

Aims: To (a) explore the transition experience of family caregivers caring for persons with advanced cancer living in the community, (b) describe potential triggers for transitions, (c) identify what influences this experience, and (d) develop a conceptual framework of their transition experience.

Design: Sandelowski and Barroso's methodology for synthesizing qualitative research included (a) a comprehensive search of empirical literature, (b) quality appraisal of qualitative studies, (c) classification of studies, and (d) synthesis of the findings.

Development of a French Version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-Revised: A Pilot Study of Palliative Care Patients' Perspectives.

Background: The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-revised (ESAS-r) is a nine-item self-report symptom intensity tool developed for palliative care patients, with the option of adding a 10th patient-specific symptom. Due to growing international uptake, the ESAS-r has been translated into different languages. There has not been agreement, however, regarding a standard process for translation into multiple languages, which also includes patients' perspectives.

What is stable pain control? A prospective longitudinal study to assess the clinical value of a personalized pain goal.

Background: A universal consensus regarding standardized pain outcomes does not exist. The personalized pain goal has been suggested as a clinically relevant outcome measure.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of obtaining a personalized pain goal and to compare a clinically based personalized pain goal definition versus a research-based study definition for stable pain.

Family Caregiver Participation in Palliative Care Research: Challenging the Myth.

Context: Despite international guidelines emphasizing consumer-directed care and autonomous decisions in research participation, there is a common myth that research can be an additional and unwanted burden on patients and their family members.

Objectives: To examine the experiences and impact of research involvement on family caregivers (FCs) of terminally ill people, focusing within home-based palliative care.

Methods: Three hundred sixteen of 322 participants (98.

'All I can do is help': Transition experiences of male spouse caregivers of women with breast cancer.

The transition experience of male spouses of women with breast cancer is largely unknown. Ninety-one open-ended surveys of male spouses were analyzed using thematic analysis to understand the transition experience of this population when their partners were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. While 10 participants indicated they experienced no changes, the majority experienced changes to their roles and relationships, their mental health, and their share of household work.

The psychosocial experiences of older palliative patients while participating in a Living with Hope Program.

Objective: Several studies have reported the effectiveness of a variety of psychosocial interventions in increasing levels of hope in palliative care patients. The experience of palliative patients while participating in these interventions is unknown. Understanding these experiences would provide a rich understanding of how the interventions work to foster hope.

Developing Navigation Competencies to Care for Older Rural Adults with Advanced Illness.

Navigators help rural older adults with advanced illness and their families connect to needed resources, information, and people to improve their quality of life. This article describes the process used to engage experts - in rural aging, rural palliative care, and navigation - as well as rural community stakeholders to develop a conceptual definition of navigation and delineate navigation competencies for the care of this population. A discussion paper on the important considerations for navigation in this population was developed followed by a four-phased Delphi process with 30 expert panel members.

Clinical characteristics of patients having single versus multiple patient encounters within a palliative care programme.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patient initial presentations, and to explore associations between patients' clinical characteristics at initial presentation and number of encounters (single vs multiple) to an integrated palliative care programme.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of a decedent cohort of 2922 patient initial presentations to the Edmonton Zone Palliative Care Program (EZPCP). Data included age, gender, setting of encounter, diagnosis, Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, CAGE, Mini-Mental Status Examination, Palliative Performance Status, Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain and time to death.

Indicators of integration of oncology and palliative care programs: an international consensus.

Background: Recently, the concept of integrating oncology and palliative care has gained wide professional and scientific support; however, a global consensus on what constitutes integration is unavailable. We conducted a Delphi Survey to develop a consensus list of indicators on integration of specialty palliative care and oncology programs for advanced cancer patients in hospitals with ≥100 beds.

Methods: International experts on integration rated a list of indicators on integration over three iterative rounds under five categories: clinical structure, processes, outcomes, education, and research.

Feasibility of a pedometer-based walking program for survivors of breast and head and neck cancer undergoing radiation therapy.

Purpose: This pilot study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a pedometer-based walking program for people with breast cancer and head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing radiation therapy treatment.

Methods: Participants were given a pedometer and prescribed a home-based walking program that included an individualized weekly step-count goal during the 3- to 5-week course of radiation therapy. Feasibility was determined by calculating recruitment rate, completion rate, and rate of adherence.