Systematic Review of Models of Effective Community Specialist Palliative Care Services for Evidence of Improved Patient-Related Outcomes, Equity, Integration, and Health Service Utilization.

The benefits of palliative care programs are well documented. However, the effectiveness of specialist palliative care services is not well established. The previous lack of consensus on criteria for defining and characterizing models of care has restrained direct comparison between these models and limited the evidence base to inform policy makers.

Community specialist palliative care services in New Zealand: a survey of Aotearoa hospices.

Aim: Community specialist palliative care (SPC) in Aotearoa New Zealand is provided by independent hospices. Substantial increase in demand for palliative care is projected in the next 20 years. We aimed to describe the current landscape of SPC services across Aotearoa whilst incorporating an equity lens.

Cyclizine pharmacovigilance in hospice/palliative care: net effects for nausea or vomiting.

Objectives: To describe the contemporary real-world use of cyclizine for nausea or vomiting, and the associated benefits and harms.

Methods: This was a prospective, consecutive case series of routine clinical use of cyclizine for nausea or vomiting in palliative care conducted across 19 sites in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and the UK. Clinical outcomes were graded using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events at baseline and 72 hours after initiation of cyclizine.

Intranasal Fentanyl Versus Placebo for Treatment of Episodic Breathlessness in Hospice Patients With Advanced Nonmalignant Diseases.

Context: Episodic breathlessness is a distressing and difficult to treat symptom because of its short duration. Fast actioned intranasal fentanyl (INF) is potentially more suitable than oral opioids.

Objectives: To examine the feasibility, preliminary efficacy, and safety of INF for the treatment of episodic breathlessness from advanced nonmalignant conditions in hospice patients.