Publications by authors named "Paula Calcada"
Background: Several medical devices have been developed for continuous subcutaneous drug infusion for home palliative care (HPC), such as elastomeric infuser pumps (EIP). There is no evidence on the repeated filling of EIP for continuous subcutaneous delivery for HPC.
Aim: A clinical case series report of terminally-ill patients cared for in HPC, with repeated filling of EIPs for home-based subcutaneous medications.
Objective: Desire for death (DfD) is a complex and multifactorial dimension of end-of-life experience. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of DfD and its associations, arising within the setting of a tertiary home-based palliative care (PC) unit.
Method: Retrospective analysis of all DfD entries registered in our anonymized database from October 2018 to April 2020.
Article Synopsis
- End-of-life experiences are complex, and physical symptoms often signal deeper emotional or psychological distress for patients.
- A case study highlights the care of a woman with terminal cancer, focusing on her painful skin issues managed by a multidisciplinary team.
- Addressing her physical pain first allowed the team to explore and support her psychosocial, spiritual, and existential needs, illustrating the importance of holistic care in terminal illness.
Objective: Palliative care (PC) aims to improve patients' and families' quality of life through an approach that relieves physical, psychosocial, and spiritual suffering, although the latter continues to be under-assessed and under-treated. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of physical, psychosocial, and hope assessments documented by a PC team in the first PC consultation.
Method: The retrospective descriptive analysis of all first PC consultations registered in our anonymized database (December 2018-January 2020), searching for written documentation regarding (1) Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) physical subscale (pain, tiredness, nausea, drowsiness, appetite, shortness of breath, constipation, insomnia, and well-being), (2) the single question "Are you depressed?" (SQD), (3) the question "Do you feel anxious?" (SQA), (4) feeling a burden, (5) hope-related concerns, (6) the dignity question (DQ), and (7) will to live (WtL).