Web-Based Post-Bereavement Survey System in Specialized Palliative Care: A Feasibility Pilot Study.

Web-based post-bereavement survey systems for specialized palliative care will enable obtaining timely results on the care quality from more participants at a lower cost. The primary aim of the study was to develop a web-based post-bereavement survey system and to compare response rates for different number of items. The secondary aim was to examine response bias between web-based and mail survey in post-bereavement surveys.

Assistance of a Palliative Care Certified Nurse in the Alleviation of Refractory Cancer Pain by Switching Opioids to Oral Methadone in a Japanese Outpatient Setting.

Although methadone has the potential to improve the management of cancer pain, it has some serious problems, such as respiratory depression and QT interval prolongation. Therefore, patients who are prescribed methadone must be educated, monitored, and supported by specialized medical staff, especially in the outpatient setting. We assessed the effectiveness of support from the palliative care certified nurse who used the checklists in opioid switching to oral methadone for patients with refractory pain.

Oral Methadone for Patients With Neuropathic Pain Due to Neoplastic Brachial Plexopathy.

The brachial plexus nerves originate from the cervical (C5-C8) and first thoracic (T1) spinal nerves, and innervate muscles and skin of the chest, shoulder, arm and hand. Brachial plexus injuries can occur as a result of shoulder trauma and inflammation. Malignant tumors can also cause neoplastic brachial plexopathy (NBP), and refractory neuropathic pain is the most common symptom of NBP.

A Comparative Study of Opioid Switching to Methadone for Cancer Pain Control in Successful and Unsuccessful Cases.

Methadone may play a role in the control of refractory cancer pain in opioid switching, although some cases fail to switch to methadone. To evaluate the differences in the clinical aspects in switching to methadone between successful cases (SCs) and unsuccessful cases (UCs). This was a retrospective study of the clinical aspects of cancer patients who experienced opioid switching from other opioids to methadone.

Effectiveness of spiritual care using spiritual pain assessment sheet for advanced cancer patients: A pilot non-randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To obtain preliminary knowledge to design a randomized controlled trial to clarify the effects of spiritual care using the Spiritual Pain Assessment Sheet (SpiPas).

Method: The study was designed as a nonrandomized controlled trial. The study took place between January 2015 and July 2015 in a hematology and oncology ward and two palliative care units in Japan.