Longitudinal observation of anxiety and depression among palliative care cancer patients.

Background: Anxiety and depressive symptoms are commonly reported to have a high prevalence in advanced cancer patients. However, whether the severity of the symptoms change during a stay in a palliative care unit (PCU) and after discharge home has not been studied thus far. This prospective, longitudinal, single-center study screened for anxiety and depression as measured on the German version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) in a palliative care (PC) cancer cohort at three different time points.

Questionnaires measuring quality of life and satisfaction of patients and their relatives in a palliative care setting-German translation of FAMCARE-2 and the palliative care subscale of FACIT-Pal.

Background: The evaluation of quality of life (QoL) and satisfaction with care in palliative care patients and their relatives is an important aspect of palliative care research, likewise important to get a direct feedback for the success of treatment. Here, questionnaires are important tools for measuring outcomes of care in medicine. Several validated, predominantly English, questionnaires already exist.