Abstract
Letters to the Editor
The use of patient-reported outcome measures is crucial not only in service evaluation and resource allocation but also in comparisons between service providers and models of palliative care. (page 414)
Brief Reports
Study to determine the extent patients' cognitive screening scores were associated with their end-of-life treatment preferences, advance care planning, and care. (page 536)
Fast Facts and Concepts
Catatonia #349 (page 565)
Palliative Care Issues in Glioblastoma #350 (page 567)
Personal Reflection
Although “getting what you want” is the cornerstone of our consumer society, it is not always possible. This is the dilemma our palliative care team faces too often—the options offered to patients are not acceptable to patients and families. (page 572)
Book and Media Reviews
(page 576)
Recent Literature
(page 577)
Electronic Documentation of Advance Care Planning
National experts offer a set of concise, clinically relevant recommendations, to improve the state of advance care planning documentation in the electronic health record. (page 522)
Palliative Radiation Oncology Service
The authors developed a Palliative Radiation Oncology Consult service, which led to more efficient radiation courses, substantially reduced hospital length of stays, and more timely palliative care consultation—without compromising symptom improvements. (page 438)
Inpatient Palliative Care Utilization
Researchers analyzed national data including nearly 283,000 hospitalized patients and found only 8.5% of cancer patients received a palliative care consult. Cancer patients undergoing surgery were least likely to receive palliative care in the hospital. (page 428)
Access to Pediatric Palliative Care
The authors surveyed healthcare settings in 18 countries and 39 states to better understand successes and gaps in implementing pediatric palliative care as a standard of care. (page 452)
Decreased Costs with Advance Care Planning
In a case–control study of Medicare beneficiaries in an accountable care organization, documentation about advance care planning was associated with lower costs, primarily due to reduced hospital utilization. (page 489)
End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes
Researchers synthesized qualitative studies to comprehensively describe the experience of dying from the perspectives of residents, family, and facility staff in nursing homes. (page 503)
Sharing Care Preferences with Family
The authors interviewed older adults about their attitudes and experiences of end-of-life discussions with family. Four themes emerged: (1) being proactive or passive/reactive, (2) perceiving discussion of death as normal or abnormal, (3) responding to family resistance/disconnection, and (4) acquiring knowledge. (page 463)
Intensity of Care in End-Stage Lung Cancer
In a retrospective study of nearly 20,000 patients, veterans with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer commonly underwent invasive procedures and other aggressive end-of-life care during their last month of life. (page 445)
Complex Decongestive Therapy for Lymphedema
This pilot study found that complex decongestive therapy was effective for advanced cancer patients, including improvements in limb volume, skin quality, and lymphedema-related quality of life. (page 473)
Palliative Care in Cystic Fibrosis
Using a mixed methods study, the authors identified palliative care and advance care planning needs of patients with cystic fibrosis and their families, as well as clinicians' potential roles in meeting these needs. (page 513)
Bereavement Challenges
Prigerson and colleagues describe five factors associated with prolonged grief and poor quality of life after a loss among caregivers of advanced cancer patients. (page 479)
Interprofessional Support for Pediatric Teams
In a survey, pediatric providers involved in end-of-life care reported benefits of ongoing support through education, interpersonal relationships, and institutional practices. The authors found an interprofessional perspective enabled staff to provide optimal care for patients, their families, and themselves. (page 422)