Implementation Status of Palliative Care for Patients Died in Peking Union Medical College Hospital,2019 / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To reveal the current situation of palliative care for patients who died in Peking Union Medical College Hospital,so as to guide the practice of palliative care for patients in terminal stage. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on patients who died in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1,2019 to December 31,2019.The general clinical data of the patients,whether they received palliative care,and the treatment details including invasive rescue measures,symptom controlling,and psychological,social,and spiritual care status before dying were collected for descriptive analysis. Results A total of 244 inpatients died in 2019,including 135 males and 109 females,with an average age of (65.9±16.4) years (1 day to 105 years).Among the 244 patients,112 (45.9%) died of neoplastic diseases and 132 (54.1%) died of non-neoplastic diseases.Sixty-one (25.0%) patients received palliative care before death,and they were mainly distributed in internal medicine departments such as nephrology (100.0%),gastroenterology (80.0%),and geriatrics (72.7%).Twenty-nine patients received sound palliative care,with all symptoms under control and no invasive treatment before death,and twenty-six patients received psychological,social,and spiritual care.Compared with the patients who were not exposed to the concept of palliative care,the patients who received palliative care showed decreased probabilities of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (0 vs 20.2%;χ2=13.009,P<0.001),tracheal intubation (3.3% vs 48.6%;χ2=38.327,P<0.001),and invasive mechanical ventilation (4.9% vs 47.5%;χ2=33.895,P<0.001) and an increased probability of psychological,social,and spiritual care (54.1% vs 2.4%;χ2=91.486,P<0.001). Conclusion The concept of palliative care has a positive impact on the death of end-stage patients.Palliative care services can increase the probability of end-stage patients receiving psychological,social,and spiritual care and reduce the use of invasive treatment.

Standard Process for Palliative Sedation in Peking Union Medical College Hospital / 中国医学科学院学报

End-stage patients experience unbearable pain because of refractory symptoms.Palliative sedation is a form of palliative care which relieves patients' agony by lowering their consciousness.Standard palliative sedation can help patients die with dignity.It is distinct from euthanasia and does not alter the survival of patients.Sufficient palliative care is the premise of palliative sedation.Repeated and detailed clinical evaluation,as well as multidisciplinary involvement,is necessary for the standardized implementation of palliative sedation.Here,we proposed the standard process and specifications of palliative sedation in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Furthermore,we reported a case of palliative sedation for an advanced cancer patient with refractory delirium and living pain to demonstrate its application in clinical practice.

Cognition and Ability of Emergency Physicians for Palliative Care in Tertiary Hospitals / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To understand the cognition and related abilities of emergency physicians for palliative care in China. Methods A total of 115 emergency physicians were selected by convenient sampling to conduct a questionnaire survey.The questionnaire included the physicians' basic information,feelings and attitudes towards end-stage patients and their families,cognition of palliative care,and personal ability for palliative care. Results 25.2%,59.1%,and 15.7% of the emergency physicians considered they had "no understanding","partial understanding",and "full understanding" of palliative care,respectively.32(27.8%)physicians participated in palliative care-related lectures and they showed higher self-rated cognition levels(

Exploration and Practice of the Whole-course Care Mode from Hospital to Home for an Advanced Malignant Tumor Patient / 中国医学科学院学报

This paper depicted the whole-course care for an advanced cancer patient from hospital to home.In this case,telemedicine was employed to provide guidance on the symptom control,comfort care,psychotherapy,and bereavement counseling.The patient got the holistic care from the whole family and team.The holistic care finally gave a good death of the patient and aided in the recovery of the family members from grief.

Inpatient Care Expenditure of Terminally Ill Patients in the Geriatric Ward of Peking Union Medical College Hospital / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To describe the inpatient care expenditure of the terminally ill patients in the geriatric ward of Peking Union Medical College Hospital and facilitate future research on the economic outcomes of hospice and palliative care.Methods The histories of patients admitted to the Department of Geriatrics of Peking Union Medical College Hospital during 2018 were reviewed by trained doctors.According to the diagnosis and overall health state,terminally ill patients were selected and enrolled in the study.Demographics,health and disease information,prescriptions,and expenditure details were retrieved from the HIS system.Results In 2018,35 patients were terminally ill and eligible for hospice care,including 20 males and 15 females,with the average age of(78±8)years(59-91 years),the average age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index of 10±3,and the median Barthel index of 40(10,70).These patients had malignant tumor(23 cases),heart failure(4 cases),end-stage renal disease(1 case),end-stage liver disease(2 cases),dementia(4 cases)and other severe diseases(3 cases).The patients received standard care within the scope of internal medicine and geriatrics.Finally,8 patients died during hospitalization,and 27 were discharged alive.The 35 patients had the median length of stay of 15(12,23)days,the median inpatient expenditure of CNY 21 500(13 800,37 600),and the median daily expenditure of CNY 1425(970,2503).The percentage of expenditure was(28.5±12.3)% for medication,(33.2±18.0)% for tests and examinations,and 11.5%(6.4%,15.8%)for accommodation and medical services.The medications for symptom control costed CNY(77±58)per day on average,accounting for(5.2±3.5)% of the total expenditure.Conclusions The inpatient expenditure for terminally ill patients in the tertiary grade A hospital was higher than that reported in community hospitals providing hospice care.In terms of expenditure constitution,the money spent on medications and tests/examinations were similar,and the percentage of expenditure on medications for symptom control was low.There is a need for further research on the economic impact of hospice and palliative care among terminally ill patients in China.

Effects of Palliative Care Consultation on Medicals in Peking Union Medical College Hospital / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore the effects of palliative care consultation on medical professionals who have requested it in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 medical professionals who had requested palliative care consultation.Results Palliative care consultation had the following positive effects:building a bridge for doctor-patient communication,providing psychological support to reduce the sense of occupational exhaustion for medical professionals,providing technical support for medical professionals to help patients relieve symptoms,helping medical professionals in the multidisciplinary learning of palliative care,adding humanistic care and neglected ethical concerns.Conclusion Palliative care consultation improves the quality of care for dying patients,and the capacity of consultation needs to be enhanced urgently.

Outpatient Clinic Practice of Hospice and Palliative Care in Peking Union Medical College Hospital / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To share the outpatient clinic practice of hospice and palliative care at the Department of Geriatrics,Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis on the consecutive clinic data of doctor N in Geriatric Outpatient Clinic,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1,2016 to December 31,2019.The patients aged 85 years and older,as well as those with end stage malignant tumor,non-tumor dysfunction due to chronic diseases or primary diseases without effective treatment were defined as patients with palliative care need.The basic information,symptoms,consultation purposes and treatments of these patients were collected.Results Among the 2502 visits during the study period,1388 patients with palliative care needs were admitted and recorded,with an average age of(69.7±13.5)years(8-105 years),among which 73.3% were patients over 60 years old and 712(51.3%)were males.Among these patients,63.4% visited specifically to seek for palliative care service and 87.2% of the visits were due to distress caused by advanced malignant tumors.Of the 221 patients with non-tumor diseases,frailty and neurodegenerative diseases were the leading life-threating cause.Of the 5483 symptoms recorded,pain(21.2%),anorexia(13.1%),fatigue(11.6%),constipation(6.9%),insomnia(4.6%),and abdominal distension(4.6%)were the six common symptoms.In the 2502 visits,26.2% of the patients had mutiple visits,and 50.3% of the patients with multiple visits had more than three visits;38.6% of patients visited the clinic themselves,and 65.7% of visits were attended by two or more family members(including the patients).The average duration of visit was(19.6±8.5)min(2-85 min),and 13.5%,53.0%,25.6% and 7.9% of the patients completed the consultation within 10,11-20,21-30 and over 30 min,respectively.Conclusion There is strong demand of palliative care in the outpatient clinic of Department of Geriatrics in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and it is feasible to provide palliative care service for patients with serious diseases in geriatric outpatient clinics.

Hospice and Palliative Care in Mainland China: History, Current Status and Challenges / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

The concept of End-of-Life Care (EOLC) came into China in the late 1980s. However, hospice and palliative care in medical practice develope slowly. In recent years, profesionals, patients and their families, as well as government begin to attach importance to it. There is a hospice and palliative care movement now in China. This article gives an overview of the progress and the current status in multiple aspects of hospice and palliative care in mainland China, and points out the barriers and challenges for its further development in the future.

Implement the Palliative Care in Medical Practice of a Tertiary Comprehensive Hospital in China / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

The locations and modalities of palliative care services to patients with severe/end-stage illness can be diverse, ranging from general hospitals to home-based care. The concept of palliative care hasn't been fully applied to medical practice by care providers in mainland China, where the seriously ill or terminal patients mainly receive medical care in hospitals. The implementation of palliative care in medical practice has developed greatly in Peking Union Medical College hospital in terms of clinical patient care, education, and research. This article gives an overview of it, and the experiences in team building, promotion, support seaking and fund raising were also discussed in this article. We hope to explore an effective dilivering model of palliative care for end-stage patients that is adaptive to Chinese culture and social environment.

Running a Volunteer Program for Palliative Care in a Chinese Hospital: Our Practice and Experience / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

The establishment and development of volunteer team are very important in the whole process of palliative care. The concept and practice of palliative care have been developed in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) since the end of 2012. Great progress has been made in different aspects. Volunteers play an extremely important role in the development of palliative care in PUMCH. The whole work began with the establishment of volunteer teams. This article introduces the process of the establishment and development of palliative care volunteer team in PUMCH, aiming to provide practical references for hospitals in mainland China to develop their own palliative care volunteer team.

Recognition of Palliative Care in Chinese Clinicians: How They Feel and What They Know / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective To investigate doctors' feelings when providing medical care to end-stage patients, and their understanding as well as reflection about theoretical concepts of palliative medicine. Methods Questionnaires were delivered through a social networking platform to 1500 clinicians of different specialties in 10 proviences of China. It covered issues of background information, self-assessment of familiarity to palliative care, prior training history, emotional attitude toward end-stage patients, and the reflections on clinical practice. Logistic regression analysis and chi-square test were used to analyse the categorical variables. Results There were 379 clinicians who completed the questionnaires and submitted successfully. Among them, 66.8% (253/379) had attended palliative care training courses more than twice; 66.8% (253/379) clinicians percieved powerless feeling when facing end-stage patients. We found that the education on palliative medicine was significantly associated to doctors' better comprehension on the concept of palliative care (OR=6.923, P=0.002). Doctors who were more familiar with palliative medicine were less likely to perceive powerless feelings (χ =13.015, P<0.001), and would be more likely to concern about patients and their family members in their clinical work (χ =28.754, P<0.001, χ =24.406, P<0.001). Conclusion The powerless feeling is prevalent in Chinese doctors when facing end-stage patients. Palliative care help them overcome the negative feelings and act more caring in clinic. More careful designed educational strategies that adapt to Chinese actual situation are needed to improve doctors' cognition on palliative care.

Physicians' Perception of Palliative Care Consultation Service in a Major General Hospital in China / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective s The in-hosptial palliative care consultation (PCC) is emerging as a routine service in some medical center in China. The current study evaluated how physicians in primary care team and consultation team perceive the PCC service for the purpose of investigating the effectiveness of this consultation model in a general hospital. Methods In-hosptial palliative care consultations have been carried out at Peking Union Medical College Hosptial by a dedicated consultation team, and 37 consultations were completed in 2016. A questionnaire was designed for physicians in terms of its benefits to patients,their family as well as the primary care team. Physicians who applied for consultation in 2016 formally (requested from the department other than the Geriatrics) and informally (by rotating residents and unemployed visiting doctors in geriatric department) were invited to participate in the survey by scanning a two dimentional code on social networking platform. Results There were 103 physicians participated in the survey, including primary care physicians from the department of Internal Medicine (n=8), Gynaecology (n=16) and Surgery (n=13), rotating residents (n=30), visiting doctors (n=16) in Geriatric department, and PCC team members (n=20). 94.0% of the non-PCC physicians agreed that PCC relieved the suffering of patients; 89.2% thought PCC improved the quality of patients' life; there were 91.6%, 95.2%, 90.4% physicians who felt it relieved the anxiety of patients, of family members and of care providers, respectively. There were 96.4% physicians who felt it could ease the tension in physician-patient relationship; 97.6% felt it lower the risk for medical negligence, and 96.4% of doctors who applied for PPC felt satisfied with PCC service in terms of process and achieving objectives of consultation. More primary-team physician agree "PCC service helps the physicians better understand palliative care" than PCC members (97.6% vs. 80%, P0.05). Conclusion Palliative care consultation service in a general hospital is efficacious and acclaimed.The primary care physicians and the PCC members hold positive attitudes to the benefits that the PCC services bring to patients, family members, and physicians themselves. PCC for terminal patients in a general hospital may serve as a good modle for promotion of palliative care in China.

Individualized Aromatherapy in End-of-Life Cancer Patients Care: A Case Report / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

As one of the methods of palliative care, aromatherapy has been applied gradually in clinical nursing work in China in recent years. Through aromatherapy, terminal cancer patients can get not only relieves of physical symptoms, but also spiritual relaxation and peace, thus have improved quality of life at the end stage. In this paper, we report in detail about how aromatherapy was applied for symptom control in a cancer patient with unknown primary malignancy and multiple metastasis and its effects on the terminal life of this patient.

Palliative Care in Undergraduate Medical Education:Experiences in Developed Countries and Regions / 中国医学科学院学报

Palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for patients and families facing life-threatening illness. Since its introduction in China,palliative care has developed rapidly with greater numbers of elderly adults and increasing chronic disease. However,palliative care education lags behind somehow,especially for undergraduate medical students. This article summarizes the history and status quo of palliative care education for undergraduate medical students in countries and regions including the United Kindom,the United States,Japan,and Taiwan Province,with an attempt to further promote the palliative care education for medical students in mainland China.

Needs of Continuing Education on Hospice and Palliative Care in China:A Questionnaire-based Survey / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To analyzed the current situations and needs of the continuing education on hospice and palliative care (HPC) in China based on the response from trainees in the 2016 National Hospice and Palliative Medicine Training Program. Methods A questionnaire-based survey was performed among 141 trainees who attended the program held by Peking Union Medical College Hospital in 2016. The questionnaire items included the awareness and knowledge of HPC,learning Objective s,learning gains,and future plans. Results The trainees came from 19 provinces and municipalities. Their professions included doctors (66.0%),nurses (17.0%),physical therapists (1.4%),psychologists (5.0%),social workers (2.1%),volunteers (6.4%) and hospital managers (2.1%). Doctors'disciplines included geriatrics (56.0%),medical oncology (11.8%),and others (32.2%). Among these 141 participants,111 (78.7%) had not attended any HPC course before,134 (95.0%) were aware of HPC,and 131 (92.9%) needed help from others when providing care for terminally-ill patients. The median score for symptom control and communication skills among 141 trainees were 3.0(2.0,4.0) points and 1.0(0.0,2.0) points,respectively. The average score of the final examination involving case analysis and medical knowledge of symptom control was (59.1±18.0)scores (centesimal system). Finally,136 trainees (96.5%) were willing to receive further training on HPC. Conclusion It is important to do more HPC education and training among medical staff,so as to strengthen their knowledge and capability in symptom control,communication,and evaluation of death quality.

Survey on the Accompanying Experience of Palliative Hospice Volunteers in Peking Union Medical College Hospital / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the experience of accompanying dying patients among hospice and palliative care (HPC) volunteers. Methods By applying the methodologies of phenomenological research and participatory observation,the experiences,awareness,and expectations of accompanying dying patients of 10 volunteers in our center were investigated. Results The experiences of 10 volunteers in HPC could be summarized into three subjects:volunteer personal cognition,volunteer demand and family support,and volunteers' expectations of hospital and society. These could be further divided into 6 sub-themes regarding the personal cognition and feelings of the volunteers:unknown,hostile,suspicious,helpless,role positioning,and passing the message of illness. Three sub-themes associated with individual needs and family support were:self motivation,family ties,and family support. Five sub-themes concerning volunteers' expectations for hospitals and society were:confusion of concept,lack of palliative idea,reach-out service,humanistic care,and adoption of palliative concept. Conclusion sHPC team should widely promote the concept of HPC,seeking supports from individuals,families,and the whole society. A strong volunteer team with robust volunteer service mode and standardized admittance,training,and supervision systems are needed. In particular,strengthened supervision and training of HPC volunteers and standard volunteer system are conducive to the improvement of HPC services in hospitals.

Practice of Palliative Care:Experience of a Patient with Advanced Retroperitoneal Sarcoma at the End of Life / 中国医学科学院学报

According to the World Health Organization,palliative care is an approach that prevents and alleviates the pain of patients with life-threatening illness and improves the quality of life of patients and their families through early identification,assessment and treatment of pain and other physical,psychosocial and spiritual problems. It is the active holistic care accomplished by multidisciplinary team. This article describes the practice of the palliative care in a patient with advanced retroperitoneal sarcoma.

Folfox4 regimen administered through combined hepatic arterial and systemic infusion for treatment of colorectal cancer with unresectable liver metastases / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for liver metastases is under evaluation because of the high target dose and low general toxicity. To investigate the efficacy and safety of a Folfox4 regimen administered through a combined hepatic arterial and systemic infusion for the first-line treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) with unresectable liver metastases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-seven CRC patients with unresectable hepatic metastases and no prior chemotherapy were enrolled into the study. They received a Folfox4 regimen; 1st day: HAI of oxaliplatin 85 mg/m(2) and L-folinic acid 200 mg/m(2), followed by a bolus hepatic arterial injection of 5-fluorouracil 400 mg/m(2), then continuous HAI of 5-FU 600 mg/m(2); 2nd day: infusion of L-folinic acid 200 mg/m(2) i.v. followed by an intravenous bolus injection of 5-Fluorouracil 400 mg/m(2), then continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m(2) i.v. The patients received HAI during the odd cycles, and the intravenous administration of the same Folfox4 regimen during the even cycles.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 236 treatment cycles were given with a median of 10 cycles. The therapy generated the following results after six treatment cycles: complete response (CR) 1/27 (3.7%), partial response (PR) 17/27 (63.0%), stable disease (SD) 6/27 (22.2%), and progress disease (PD) 3/27 (11.1%). Five patients had hepatectomy. The serum levels of both carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA19-9 were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). A median time to progression of 11 months and a median overall survival of 24 months were documented. The major adverse events included grade 1/2 nausea/vomiting, upper abdominal pain, peripheral neuropathy, and neutropenia/thrombocytopenia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The Folfox4 regimen administered through combined hepatic arterial and systemic infusions is efficacious and safe for the treatment of CRC with unresectable liver metastases, and it facilitates the control of local lesions.</p>

Clinical significance of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor in platinum-based chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>UNLABELLED</b>OBJECTIVE; To explore the influence of the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor(IGF-1R)in end-stage non-small cell lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The expression of IGF-1R was detected in 39 paraffin-embedded chemotherapy-naive non-small cell lung cancer tumor samples with immunohistochemical method,and the relationship between the outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy and IGF-1R expression was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>IGF-1R expression was detected in 21 cases (53.8%). The IGF-1R expression status shown no correlation with tumor pathological status,tumor differentiation status,history of smoking,as well as smoking index. Better outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy were observed in patients with negative IGF-1R expression.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IGF-1R expression may be used to predict the effectiveness of the first-line platinum-based chemotherapy for end-stage non-small cell lung cancer.</p>

Quality of life among patients receiving chemotherapy in the outpatient departments of a general hospital and its correlation with pain / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the relationship of quality of life and pain in patients receiving chemotherapy in the outpatient departments in a general hospital.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to collect data on pain status, sleep disorder,vomiting,constipation as well as the social function status.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 428 patient-times of survey, 12.2% of the patients had moderate to severe pain,of which 78.8% was consistent pain. The occurrence of pain was closely related to the metastasis of cancer (P = 0.000). The intensity and location of pain were independently correlated to the origin of cancer (P = 0.035, P = 0.000). Nearly a quarter of patients (24.5%) agreed that talking with his/her family was helpful to relieve pain, while 17.3% of patients had ambulatory restriction or changes in social function. The changes in social function were closely related with sleeping disorder, constipation, fatigue, and intensity of pain (all ,0.05). Furthermore, sleeping disorder was related to pain intensity (P=0.000), while constipation had no relationship with analgesic medicines (P = 0.798).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>A significantly large proportion of patients who are receiving chemotherapies in the outpatient departments of general hospital are suffering from moderate to severe pain. Their decreased social functions correlate with the cancer-related somatic symptoms.</p>