Publications by authors named "Po-Tin Lam"
Article Synopsis
- Advance care planning (ACP) is crucial for palliative care, but documentation and discussions about it have been persistently low, highlighting the need for better family involvement in medical decisions.
- This study evaluates a structured, family-supported ACP program for adult palliative care patients by comparing outcomes in a randomized controlled trial with patients receiving standard care.
- The primary goal is to see how accurately families can predict patients' treatment preferences, with various secondary outcomes focused on communication, emotional well-being, and overall satisfaction with the intervention.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how self-efficacy (SE) among caregivers influences the relationship between their unmet support needs and their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) while caring for palliative cancer patients.
- - Researchers analyzed data from 125 family caregivers and found that unmet support needs negatively impacted mental HRQOL, with caregiving SE specifically in "care for the care recipient" acting as a mediator.
- - The results suggest that improving caregiving SE could be key in helping caregivers better cope with their unmet needs, ultimately enhancing their HRQOL, highlighting the importance of supportive interventions from healthcare providers.
Article Synopsis
- - The study evaluated the reliability, validity, and acceptability of the Chinese version of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT) for family caregivers in palliative care in Hong Kong, involving 125 caregivers and 10 healthcare providers.
- - Results showed an impressive content validity index of 0.98, with significant correlations between CSNAT items and measures like caregiver burden and self-efficacy; however, it did not correlate well with social support.
- - Most healthcare professionals found the tool useful, with high acceptability among caregivers, as 89.6% understood it well and 92.9% felt comfortable responding to its questions.
Integrated palliative medicine in public oncology: a 10-year review.
BMJ Support Palliat Care
June 2021
Objectives: The rapid ageing population of Hong Kong has a high demand on oncology and palliative care (PC) service. This study was the first territory-wide assessment in Hong Kong to assess the palliative service coverage in patients with advanced cancer in the past decade.
Methods: Cancer deaths of all 43 public hospitals of Hong Kong were screened.
Integrated palliative care in oncology service has been widely implemented in Hong Kong since 2006. The study aimed to review its impact on end-of-life outcomes and overall survival (OS) of cancer patients, as well as its utilization of health care resources in the past 10 years. Cancer deaths of all 43 public hospitals of Hong Kong were screened.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Studies have shown positive clinical outcomes of specialist palliative care for end-stage heart failure patients, but cost-effectiveness evaluation is lacking.
Aim: To examine the cost-effectiveness of a transitional home-based palliative care program for patients with end-stage heart failure patients as compared to the customary palliative care service.
Design: A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial (Trial number: NCT02086305).
Objective: To examine the effects of home-based transitional palliative care for patients with end-stage heart failure (ESHF) after hospital discharge.
Methods: This was a randomised controlled trial conducted in three hospitals in Hong Kong. The recruited subjects were patients with ESHF who had been discharged home from hospitals and referred for palliative service, and who met the specified inclusion criteria.
Comparing noncancer and cancer deaths in Hong Kong: a retrospective review.
J Pain Symptom Manage
November 2010
This retrospective study aimed to compare noncancer deaths with cancer deaths in the following: 1) utilization of the public health care system in the last six months of life; 2) end-of-life care received; and 3) documentation of the advance care planning (ACP) process. The following sample was recruited from the deaths in 2006 in four public hospitals for analysis: 656 noncancer deaths consisting of 239 deaths from chronic renal failure (CRF), 242 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 175 deaths from congestive heart failure (CHF), and 183 cancer deaths. Only 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRetrospective analysis of antibiotic use and survival in advanced cancer patients with infections.
J Pain Symptom Manage
December 2005
Infection is common among advanced cancer patients. This study was undertaken to review the pattern of use of antibiotics and to identify potential factors that could affect outcomes after infection. The medical records of all patients with advanced cancer who were enrolled into the palliative care service of a district hospital during the period January, 2002 to July, 2002 were retrospectively reviewed for infections and the use of antibiotics.
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