Hospital-Based Palliative Medicine


Book Description

The first comprehensive, clinically focused guide to help hospitalists and other hospital-based clinicians provide quality palliative care in the inpatient setting. Written for practicing clinicians by a team of experts in the field of palliative care and hospital care, Hospital-Based Palliative Medicine: A Practical, Evidence-Based Approach offers: Comprehensive content over three domains of inpatient palliative care: symptom management, communication and decision making, and practical skills, Detailed information on assessment and management of symptoms commonly experienced by seriously ill patients, Advise on the use of specific communication techniques to address sensitive topics such as prognosis, goals of care, code status, advance care planning, and family meetings in a patient- and family-centered manner, Targeted content for specific scenarios, including palliative care emergencies, care at the end of life, and an overview of post-hospital palliative care options, Self-care strategies for resilience and clinician wellness which can be used to help maintain an empathic, engaged, workforce and high quality patient care, A consistent chapter format with highlighted clinical pearls and pitfalls, ensuring the material is easily accessible to the busy hospitalist and associated hospital staff. This title will be of use to all hospital clinicians who care for seriously ill patients and their families. Specialist-trained palliative care clinicians will also find this title useful by outlining a framework for the delivery of palliative care by the patient’s front-line hospital providers. Also available in the in the Hospital-Based Medicine: Current Concepts series: Inpatient Anticoagulation Margaret C. Fang, Editor, 2011 Hospital Images: A Clinical Atlas Paul B. Aronowitz, Editor, 2012 Becoming a Consummate Clinician: What Every Student, House Officer, and Hospital Practitioner Needs to Know Ary L. Goldberger and Zachary D. Goldberger, Editors, 2012 Perioperative Medicine: Medical Consultation and Co-Management Amir K. Jaffer and Paul J. Grant, Editors, 2012 Clinical Care Conundrums: Challenging Diagnoses in Hospital Medicine James C. Pile, Thomas E. Baudendistel, and Brian J. Harte, Editors, 2013 Inpatient Cardiovascular Medicine Brahmajee K. Nallamothu and Timir S. Baman, Editors 2013




Behavioral Intervention Research in Hospice and Palliative Care


Book Description

Behavioral Intervention Research in Hospice and Palliative Care: Building an Evidence Base sets forth research considerations and guidelines to build evidence-based interventions to improve end-of-life care. It is an in-depth introduction to implementation research and showcases how a clinical need is identified to inform an intervention. The book extensively examines the various phases of intervention research, including design, implementation, evaluation, dissemination and translation. The book focuses on methodological, ethical and practical issues. The science behind the quality of hospice and palliative care lags behind that of traditional medical practice, despite the continuous growth of palliative care interdisciplinary teams. Researching, developing and testing strategies is essential to advancing the effectiveness and value of this care. - Informs readers how to conduct intervention research toward identifying best care - Advises readers on design, implementation and evaluation of research - Provides step-by-step templates to develop an intervention study - Includes mock protocols from successful intervention trials - Synthesizes lessons learned by established intervention researchers in hospice and palliative care




Palliative Care in Oncology


Book Description

Palliative care provides comprehensive support for severely affected patients with any life-limiting or life-threatening diagnosis. To do this effectively, it requires a disease-specific approach as the patients’ needs and clinical context will vary depending on the underlying diagnosis. Experts in the field of palliative care and oncology describe in detail the needs of patients with advanced cancer in comparison to those with non-cancer disease and also identify the requirements of patients with different cancer entities. Basic principles of symptom control are explained, with careful attention to therapy for pain associated with either the cancer or its treatment and to symptom-guided antineoplastic therapy. Complex therapeutic strategies for palliative cancer patients are highlighted that involve both cancer- and symptom-directed options and address a range of therapeutic aims. Issues relating to drug use in palliative cancer care are fully explored, and a separate section is devoted to care in the final phase. A range of organizational and policy issues are also discussed, and the book concludes by considering likely future developments in palliative care for cancer patients. Palliative Care in Oncology will be of particular interest to palliative care physicians who are interested in broadening the scope of their disease-specific knowledge, as well as to oncologists who wish to learn more about modern palliative care concepts relevant to their day-to-day work with cancer patients.




Improving Palliative Care for Cancer


Book Description

In our society's aggressive pursuit of cures for cancer, we have neglected symptom control and comfort care. Less than one percent of the National Cancer Institute's budget is spent on any aspect of palliative care research or education, despite the half million people who die of cancer each year and the larger number living with cancer and its symptoms. Improving Palliative Care for Cancer examines the barriersâ€"scientific, policy, and socialâ€"that keep those in need from getting good palliative care. It goes on to recommend public- and private-sector actions that would lead to the development of more effective palliative interventions; better information about currently used interventions; and greater knowledge about, and access to, palliative care for all those with cancer who would benefit from it.




Palliative Medicine


Book Description

This revised and updated edition of Palliative Medicine is about the care of patients with advanced cancer and AIDS. While the primary focus is the treatment of pain and other medical problems experienced by patients, the importance of psychosocial and non-physical aspects of suffering, and the need for a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to care, are stressed. The principles of palliative care are discussed, as are ethical issues such as physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The section on HIV infection and AIDS has been expanded with particular emphasis on the gastroenterological and neuropsychiatric features associated with this illness.




Palliative Care for Advanced Alzheimer's and Dementia


Book Description

2010 AJN Book of the Year Award Winner in both Gerontologic Nursing and Hospice and Palliative Care! "This book...provides important information on best practices and appropriate ways to care for a person with Alzheimer's and advanced dementia. Drs. Martin and Sabbagh have assembled a team of experts to help craft recommendations that should ultimately become standards that all professional caregivers adopt." -Michael Reagan Son of former President Ronald Reagan President, Reagan Legacy Foundation This book testifies that caregivers can have a monumental impact on the lives of persons with advanced dementia. Through specialized programming and a renewed effort toward patient-centered care, caregivers can profoundly enrich the quality of life for these persons. Providing guidelines for health care professionals, caregivers, and family members, this book introduces palliative care programs and protocols for the treatment of people with advanced dementia. The book is designed to guide professional caregivers in meeting the needs of patients and their families, providing insight into the philosophy, assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation measures involved in interdisciplinary palliative care. The chapter authors offer guidelines and standards of care based on contributions from nurses, physical therapists, social workers, dietitions, psychologists, family caregivers and pastors. An exhibit at the end of every chapter clearly articulates the standards of care appropriate for all advanced dementia facilities and health care staff. This book helps caregivers: Enhance the physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of the patient and the patient's family Anticipate and meet the patient's basic human needs: hunger, thirst, body positioning, hygiene, continence, and management of any pain Ensure that the patient's surroundings are safe, comfortable, and homelike Address health care decisions that will support the patient's right to self-determination until the end of life




Research methods in palliative care


Book Description

Palliative and end of life care are concerned with the physical, social, psychological and spiritual care of people with advanced disease. It currently has a poorly developed research base, but the need to improve this is increasingly recognised. One of the reasons for the lack of research - and the variable quality of the research that is undertaken - is the difficulty of conducting research with very ill and bereaved people. Standard and well-established research methods may need to be adapted to work in this context. This means that existing research methods textbooks may be of limited use to palliative care practitioners seeking to do research for the first time, or to more experienced researchers wanting to apply their knowledge in palliative care settings. This research methods textbook is the first to be written specifically for palliative care. It has been edited by four experienced palliative care academics with acknowledged expertise and international reputations in this field. It encompasses methods used in both clinical and health services research in palliative care, with sections on clinical, epidemiological, survey and qualitative research, as well as a section covering skills needed in any research project. Each chapter provides readers with an up to date overview of the research method in question, an understanding of its applicability to palliative care and of the particular challenges of using it in this setting. It is essential reading for all palliative care researchers.




50 Studies Every Palliative Care Doctor Should Know


Book Description

50 Studies Every Palliative Doctor Should Know presents key studies that have shaped the practice of palliative medicine. Selected using a rigorous methodology, the studies cover topics including: palliative care, symptom assessment and management, psychosocial aspects of care and communication, and end-of-life care. For each study, a concise summary is presented with an emphasis on the results and limitations of the study, and its implications for practice. An illustrative clinical case concludes each review, followed by brief information on other relevant studies. This book is a must-read for health care professionals and anyone who wants to learn more about the data behind clinical practice.




Evidence-based Non-pharmacological Therapies for Palliative Cancer Care


Book Description

Cancer is one of the leading killers in the world and the incidence is increasing, but most cancer patients and cancer survivors suffer much from the disease and its conventional treatments’ side effects. In the past, clinical data showed that some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) possessed anticancer abilities, but some clinicians and scientists have queried about the scientific validity of CAM due to the lack of scientific evidence. There is great demand in the knowledge gap to explore the scientific and evidence-based knowledge of CAM in the anticancer field. With this aim, a book series is needed to structurally deliver the knowledge to readers. Integrative therapies comprise a variety of non-pharmacological interventions that assist in alleviating physical and psychological symptoms. Apart from being a life-threatening disease, cancer and its therapy are usually associated with a significant deterioration in the quality of life. There is growing evidence that non-pharmacological therapies provide symptom and pain management in cancer palliation. This volume is a specialised book presenting the research evidence relevant to the application of a range of commonly used non-pharmacological interventions in supportive cancer care, including massage, acupressure, Qigong, yoga, mind-body therapy, mindfulness-based intervention, and aromatherapy. A number of scientific researches and clinical studies support that these therapies offer potential beneficial effects for cancer patients in terms of reducing pain, anxiety, and other symptoms. Indeed, non-pharmacological therapies are increasingly gaining acceptance in the healthcare community as complementary to conventional cancer treatments. Most of them are non-invasive, inexpensive, and useful in improving quality of life, and they may be accessed by patients themselves.




Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care


Book Description

Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care:Biobehavioral Approaches for the Life Course Rhonda J. Moore, editor This book takes both a biobehavioral and a lifespan approach to understanding long-term and chronic pain, and intervening to optimize patients’ functioning. Rich in clinical diversity, chapters explore emerging areas of interest (computer-based interventions, fibromyalgia, stress), ongoing concerns (cancer pain, low back pain), and special populations (pediatric, elderly, military). This coverage provides readers with a knowledge base in assessment, treatment, and management that is up to date, practice strengthening, and forward looking. Subject areas featured in the Handbook include: ▪ Patient-practitioner communication ▪ Assessment tools and strategies ▪ Common pain conditions across the lifespan ▪ Biobehavioral mechanisms of chronic pain ▪ Pharmaceutical, neurological, and rehabilitative interventions ▪ Psychosocial, complementary/alternative, narrative, and spiritual approaches ▪ Ethical issue and future directions With the rise of integrative perspective and the emphasis on overall quality of life rather than discrete symptoms, pain management is gaining importance across medical disciplines. Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care stands out as a one-stop reference for a range of professionals, including health practitioners specializing in pain management or palliative care, clinical and health psychologists, public health professionals, and clinicians and administrators in long-term care and hospice.