"If You Call Them, They Will Come": A Telephone Call Reminder to Decrease the No-Show Rate in an Outpatient Palliative Medicine Clinic.

Introduction: A high outpatient clinic no-show rate affects clinical outcomes, increases healthcare costs, and reduces both access to care and provider productivity. In an effort to reduce the no-show rate at a busy palliative medicine outpatient clinic, a quality improvement project was launched consisting of a telephone call made by clinic staff prior to appointments. The study aimed to determine the effect of this intervention on the no-show rate, and assess the financial impact of a decreased no-show rate.

Single-Dose Fluconazole Therapy for Oral Thrush in Hospice and Palliative Medicine Patients.

Background: Oral thrush is a common fungal infection of the mouth experienced by palliative medicine and hospice patients who have advanced cancer. Individuals often experience distressing symptoms that affect their oral intake with most regimens adding to pill burden. This is an open-label prospective observational study to assess the efficacy of a single-dose fluconazole 150 mg for oral thrush.

New Options in Constipation Management.

Constipation is common in the general population and for those on opioids and/or who are suffering from advanced cancer. Self-management consists of dietary changes, exercise, and laxatives. However, responses to self-management efforts are often inadequate to relieve the subjective and objective experience of constipation.

Palliative medicine: barriers and developments in mainland China.

The development of palliative care in China is vital to the care of its aging population and associated increase in cancer incidence. There are physician-related and population-related barriers which impede palliative care development. The first institute for hospice care was established in Tianjin.

Practical guide to opioids and their complications in managing cancer pain. What oncologists need to know.

Approximately 60% of cancer patients experience pain, and 25% to 30% have severe pain. With some cancers, opioids will be needed before chemotherapy begins and may be more frequently prescribed than chemotherapy. Given the frequency with which pain management is necessary in cancer patients, all oncologists should be familiar with opioid prescribing principles.