Transition as a concept in healthcare has been explored, but there is limited empirical work which considers transition in the context of palliative care, specifically from the patient perspective. This article reports findings from a qualitative study designed to explore transition experiences of 100 advanced cancer patients in six European countries. Data were analyzed using the ATLAS.ti program. Findings suggest that transition is a confusing time of mixed messages, poor communication, and uncertainty, but the physical environment of the hospice offers a place of ontological security from which to address this. Transition concepts fail to capture the palliative care experience fully. Transience, as an alternative concept, is reported, although further research is needed to explore this. In clinical practice, the value given to hospice by patients suggests that clinicians must carefully balance the benefit of mainstream integration with sensitive assimilation of hospice philosophy.
Objective: To compare differences in pain, depression, function, and informal caregiving pre-and-post major elective surgery among older adults with and without serious illness; and determine if serious illness was independently associated with increasing pain, depression, assistance in activities of daily living (ADLs) and informal caregiving post-surgery.
Background: The American College of Surgeons has endorsed the integration of palliative care (PC) into surgical care in adults with serious illness but targets for PC during surgical episodes such as pain, depression, function, and informal caregiving are understudied.
Methods: We used Health and Retirement Study-linked Medicare data (2008-2018) to identify older (≥66 y) adults with and without serious illness who had major elective surgery.
Objective: Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), including Spanish-preferred patients, face healthcare challenges due to language barriers. Despite the potential of digital health technologies to improve access and outcomes, there is a "digital divide" with underutilization among vulnerable populations, including Spanish-speaking LEP individuals, highlighting a need for increased understanding and equitable digital health solutions.
Materials And Methods: A multi-mode, multi-language cross-sectional survey was built based on the Technology Acceptance Model and deployed from a multi-state healthcare practice.
We have been exploring biomarkers that could help physicians select the appropriate opioid for individualized treatment of cancer pain. Recently, we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of (rs17809012) as one such biomarker that was significantly associated with the analgesic effect of morphine. The current study measured the plasma concentrations of chemokines/cytokines in pre-treatment plasma samples of a total of 138 patients who were randomized to receive morphine (n=70) or oxycodone (n=68).
Background: This systematic review analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on dementia patients' functional, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and health related outcomes. It hypothesizes that dementia patients infected with SARS-CoV-2experience more pronounced deterioration compared to those who are uninfected.
Methods: Research from 01/03/2020 to 07/10/2023 was conducted using Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases, and adhering to PRISMA guidelines and the PICO framework.
