Exploring the Holistic Needs of People Living with Cancer in Care Homes: An Integrative Review.

Up to 26% of individuals residing in care homes are impacted by cancer. This underscores the importance of understanding the holistic needs of care home residents living with cancer to enhance the quality of their care. The primary objective of this integrative literature review was to consolidate the available evidence concerning the comprehensive needs of people living with cancer in care home settings, providing valuable insights into addressing their diverse needs.

Methodological and ethical challenges in designing and conducting research at the end of life: A systematic review of qualitative and textual evidence.

Aim: This systematic review aims to identify methodological and ethical challenges in designing and conducting research at the end of life from the perspective of researchers and provide a set of recommendations.

Background: Conducting research with patients and family carers facing end-of-life issues is ethically and methodologically complex.

Design: A systematic review was conducted.

Hope and illness expectations: A cross-sectional study in patients with advanced cancer.

Background: The fear of taking away hope hinders clinicians' willingness to share serious news with patients with advanced disease. Unrealistic illness expectations, on the other hand, can complicate decision making and end-of-life care outcomes. Exploration of the association between hope and illness expectations can support clinicians in better communication with their patients.

Spiritual Care Guide in Hospice∙Palliative Care.

The Spiritual Care Guide in Hospice∙Palliative Care is evidence-based and focuses on the universal and integral aspects of human spirituality-such as meaning and purpose, interconnectedness, and transcendence-which go beyond any specific religion. This guide was crafted to improve the spiritual well-being of adult patients aged 19 and older, as well as their families, who are receiving end-of-life care. The provision of spiritual care in hospice and palliative settings aims to assist patients and their families in finding life's meaning and purpose, restoring love and relationships, and helping them come to terms with death while maintaining hope.

Consultation-Based Deprescribing Service to Optimize Palliative Care for Terminal Cancer Patients.

(1) Background: A pharmacist-led deprescribing service previously developed within the Consultation-Based Palliative Care Team (CB-PCT) was implemented for terminal cancer patients. (2) Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of the developed deprescribing service for terminal cancer patients in CB-PCT. (3) Methods: A retrospective analysis compared the active care (AC) group to the historical usual care (UC) group.

Parents' experiences of being involved in medical decision-making for their child with a life-limiting condition: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.

Background: Parental involvement in the decision-making processes about medical treatment for children with life-limiting conditions is recognised as good practice. Previous research highlighted factors affecting the decision-making process, but little is known about how parents experience their participation.

Aim: To explore how parents experience their participation in the process of decision-making about treatment and future care for their children with life-limiting conditions.

"I Didn't Expect to Be So Caught Up in It": a Qualitative Study of Experiences of Medical Students' Volunteering for Ukrainian Refugees.

Objective: Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered a huge wave of migration, with thousands of refugees arriving at Prague's Central Station. With no medical service available, medical students started to volunteer and were running an infirmary available around the clock. The research aimed to explore medical students' professional experiences, emotionally challenging situations, and coping strategies in this demanding setting.

Cardiac healthcare disparities and electrocardiography (ECG) differences in schizophrenia at end of life.

Schizophrenia is associated with early mortality of 15 to 20 years, and 80 % of deaths are due to cardiovascular disease with a three-times greater risk of sudden-cardiac-death. While lifestyle, medications, genetics, and healthcare disparities are contributing factors, the etiology of this complex process is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to examine cardiac-related healthcare utilization and electrocardiogram (ECG) outcomes in schizophrenia at the end of life (EOL).

Palliative care need in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and human resource requirements for effective response.

Integration of palliative care into health care systems is considered an ethical responsibility, yet no country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EaMReg) has achieved integration. Data on palliative care need and cost are crucial forEaMReg health care planners and implementers in the region. Using data from the Lancet Commission on Palliative Care and Pain Relief, we estimated the number of people in each EaMReg country who needed palliative care in 2015 and their degree of access.

Ventilator Weaning and Terminal Extubation: Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy in Children. Secondary Analysis of the Death One Hour After Terminal Extubation Study.

Objective: Terminal extubation (TE) and terminal weaning (TW) during withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies (WLSTs) have been described and defined in adults. The recent Death One Hour After Terminal Extubation study aimed to validate a model developed to predict whether a child would die within 1 hour after discontinuation of mechanical ventilation for WLST. Although TW has not been described in children, pre-extubation weaning has been known to occur before WLST, though to what extent is unknown.

Efficacy and safety analysis in metastatic cancer patients treated with multiple courses of repeat radiation therapy.

Background And Purpose: Due to advances in oncology, a growing proportion of patients is treated with repetitive courses of radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to analyze whether radiotherapy maintains its safety and efficacy profile in patients treated with multiple repeat courses of irradiation.

Material And Methods: All patients treated between 2011 and 2019 at our institution were screened for a minimum of five repeat irradiation courses, to analyze treatment characteristics, survival, safety and efficacy.

Training nurses to facilitate and implement CURA in palliative care institutions: development and evaluation of a blended learning program.

Background: Healthcare professionals in palliative care are found to be confronted with moral challenges on a frequent basis. CURA is a low-threshold instrument for dialogical ethical reflection that was developed to deal with these challenges. A previous study identified the need of healthcare professionals to be trained to introduce CURA in their organization, initiate and facilitate reflections with CURA, and contribute to the implementation of CURA.

Innovative communication approaches for initializing pediatric palliative care: perspectives of family caregivers and treating specialists.

Background: Effective cooperation between a pediatric palliative care team (PPCT), primary treating specialists, patients and families is crucial for high quality care of children with complex life-limiting conditions. Several barriers among patients, families and treating specialists have been identified in the context of initializing pediatric palliative care. The aim of the study was to assess the experience with initial pediatric palliative care consultations from perspectives of family caregivers and treating physicians with a special focus on two innovative approaches: attendance of the treating specialist and the opportunity for parents to give feedback on the written report from the consultation.

Evaluation of a Study Protocol of the Application of Humor Interventions in Palliative Care Through a First Pilot Study.

Background: Humor and laughter might have an alleviating effect on pain threshold and enhance coping and building relationships. However, randomized controlled studies in palliative care have struggled with high percentages of attrition and missing values.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate a study protocol through a pilot study for the evaluation of a multistage humor intervention with psychological and physiological outcome parameters that may be applied successfully in a palliative care environment.

Impact of COVID-19 on the End-of-Life Care of Cancer Patients Who Died in a Korean Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: Social distancing and strict visitor restrictions at hospitals have been national policies since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This has challenged the concept of a good death in comfort with the opportunity to say goodbye. Little is known about how these measures have influenced end-of-life (EOL) care among cancer patients who die in acute care hospitals.

Late life depression and concepts of aging: an emerging paradigm.

Late life depression (LLD) is an emerging challenge, and recognized as a significant barrier to long-term healthy aging. Viewed within the context of the medical/biological model, advances in brain sciences over the last several decades have led to a deeper understanding of the biology of LLD. These advances in current knowledge include the description of aging brain pathophysiology; the biology and biochemistry of neurotransmitters; the correspondence between changes in neurological structure, function, and neural network; the description of neural, hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers; and identification of typical phenotypic subtypes of LLD.

Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms among Chinese rural left-behind adolescents: Mediating roles of resilience and friendship quality.

Background: Rural left-behind adolescents are more vulnerable to Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms due to the lack of family support and parental supervision. This study was the first to investigate the longitudinal relationships between Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms and to examine the mediating roles of resilience and friendship quality in rural left-behind adolescents.

Methods: Included in this study, which was from a longitudinal study conducted five times over 2 years, were 1001 rural left-behind adolescents.

Epidemiology and characteristics of emergency department utilization by patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Korea from 2016 to 2020: A nationwide study.

Introduction/aims: Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) inevitably visit the emergency department (ED) due to their increased risk of respiratory failure and mobility limitations. However, nationwide data on ED visits by patients with ALS are limited. This study investigated the characteristics of patients with ALS-related ED visits.

Advance Care Planning in Taiwan.

Taiwan has been promoting the concept of palliative care since 1983. In the 2021 global quality of death index, Taiwan ranked third. Regarding the development of patient autonomy, there are two phases.

Support for relatives in the intensive care unit: lessons from a cross-sectional multicentre cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Support for relatives is highly important in the intensive care unit (ICU). During the first COVID-19 wave  support for relatives had to be changed considerably. The alternative support could have decreased the quality and sense of support.

End-of-life treatment preference discussions between older people and their physician before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross sectional and longitudinal analyses from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.

Background: COVID-19 could lead to hospitalisation and ICU admission, especially in older adults. Therefore, during the pandemic, it became more important to discuss wishes and preferences, such as older peoples' desire for intensive treatment in a hospital in acute situations, or not. This study explores what percentage of Dutch older people aged 75 and over discussed Advance Care Planning (ACP) topics with a physician during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this was different in these people before the COVID-19 pandemic.