The Professional Guest: conceptualizing home visits in palliative care settings.

Background: Home-based palliative care is a growing trend, necessitating a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by professional staff members in this setting. The shift to home-based care has been driven by advances in technology, changing demographics, and a move toward more patient-centered approaches. As a care setting, the home environment offers distinct characteristics, presenting both advantages and drawbacks for patients and healthcare providers.

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine guidelines on end of life and palliative care in the intensive care unit.

The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) has developed evidence-based recommendations and expert opinions about end-of-life (EoL) and palliative care for critically ill adults to optimize patient-centered care, improving outcomes of relatives, and supporting intensive care unit (ICU) staff in delivering compassionate and effective EoL and palliative care. An international multi-disciplinary panel of clinical experts, a methodologist, and representatives of patients and families examined key domains, including variability across countries, decision-making, palliative-care integration, communication, family-centered care, and conflict management. Eight evidence-based recommendations (6 of low level of evidence and 2 of high level of evidence) and 19 expert opinions were presented.

Home hospice for older people with advanced dementia: a pilot project.

Background: Dementia is a terminal illness making the palliative and hospice approach to care appropriate for older people with advanced dementia.

Objective: To examine clinical and health services outcomes of a quality improvement pilot project to provide home hospice care for older people with advanced dementia.

Study Design: Twenty older people with advanced dementia being treated in the Maccabi Healthcare Services homecare program, received home hospice care as an extension of their usual care for 6-7 months (or until they died) from a multidisciplinary team who were available 24/7.

Evaluating palliative care needs in Middle Eastern countries.

Background: Cancer incidence in Middle Eastern countries, most categorized as low- and middle-income, is predicted to double in the next 10 years, greater than in any other part of the world. While progress has been made in cancer diagnosis/treatment, much remains to be done to improve palliative care for the majority of patients with cancer who present with advanced disease.

Objective: To determine knowledge, beliefs, barriers, and resources regarding palliative care services in Middle Eastern countries and use findings to inform future educational and training activities.

Relieving the burden: palliative centesis of an oedematous scrotal wall due to anasarca in end-stage heart failure.

End-stage congestive heart failure is a leading diagnosis among hospice patients without cancer. As in terminally ill cancer patients; the aim of the treatment was to focus on palliation and maximum symptom relief. Anasarca, a widespread swelling of the skin because of effusion of fluid into the extracellular space, is a common sign in end-stage heart failure causing much pain and discomfort.

Depression in primary care in Israel.

Depression is a leading cause of morbidity, disability and health care utilization. It is commonly encountered in primary care settings yet is often missed or suboptimally managed. We summarize studies conducted in Israel on the prevalence of depression in primary care settings, its correlates, and predictors of treatment and outcome, and discuss their implications for clinical practice and public health policy.