ABSTRACT
End of life is a common situation in emergency medicine. However, the training of nursing staff seems to be lacking in this area. We studied the impact of dedicated training on the management of end-of-life patients admitted to the adult emergency department of the Ambroise-Paré University Hospital.
Subject(s)
Emergency Service, Hospital , Nursing Staff , Humans , Hospitals, University , Death , Palliative CareABSTRACT
Supported by numerous scientific publications showing its clinical benefits, early palliative care has become a gold standard in oncology since 2017, recommended for patients with advanced cancer by the major societies of oncology. Nevertheless, palliative care team integration is still too late in France and the intervention of palliative care teams in oncology is still often limited to the management of patients and their relatives at the end of life. First, we will look at the main obstacles: the lack of staff in palliative care teams and the complex functioning of palliative care identified beds; also, the difficulties of communication with the patient and his relatives for the introduction of palliative care. We will then discuss the prospects for development, moving from the concept of early palliative care (systematic from the advanced phase) to integrated palliative care (targeted to patients' needs). Standardization of the integrated palliative care pathway requires the description of referral criteria, screening modalities, different clinical missions, and collaboration modalities with oncologists. Palliative care and oncology teams, working together, can enable holistic medicine that focuses on the needs of patients and their loved ones, giving voice to their preferences and aiming to improve their quality of life.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms , Oncologists , Humans , Medical Oncology , Neoplasms/therapy , Palliative Care , Quality of LifeABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Relatives of patients receiving palliative care are at risk for psychological and physical distress, and their perception of quality of care can influence patients' quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the QUALI-PALLI-FAM questionnaire (QUAlity of PALLIative car from FAMilies' perspective) to measure families' perception of and satisfaction with palliative care. METHODS: An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and we evaluated the questionnaire's internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, its stability across various strata, and the correlation between the QUALI-PALLI-FAM (factors, total score, and global satisfaction) and the total score of the FAMCARE (FAMily satisfaction with CARE) questionnaire. RESULTS: This multicentric prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven French hospitals, namely, three palliative care units and four standard medical units with a mobile palliative care team. The questionnaire was completed by 170 relatives of patients (more than 90% of patients had advanced cancer). The final questionnaire included 14 items across three domains: organization of care and availability of caregivers, medical information provision, and confidence and involvement of relatives. Internal consistency was good for all subscales (Cronbach's α = 0.74-0.86). Our questionnaire was stable across various strata: age and gender (patients and relatives), Palliative Performance Scale scores, and care settings. The QUALI-PALLI-FAM total score was correlated with the total FAMCARE score. CONCLUSION: The QUALI-PALLI-FAM appears to be a valid, reliable, and well-accepted tool to explore relatives' perception of quality of inpatient palliative care and complements the QUALI-PALLI-PAT questionnaire. Further testing is required in various settings and countries.
Subject(s)
Palliative Care , Quality of Life , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Inpatients , Perception , Prospective Studies , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Epidemiological data relating to cancer and the ageing of the population highlight the need for oncology, geriatrics and palliative care to work more closely together. Geriatric and palliative care assessments in oncology are complex procedures and result in the modification of the oncological therapeutic choices. They have a significant impact on the methods of treatment of the patients concerned.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/epidemiology , Neoplasms/therapy , Palliative Care , Aged , Algorithms , Clinical Decision-Making , France/epidemiology , Geriatric Assessment , Humans , Life Expectancy , Population DynamicsABSTRACT
Dyspnea is a symptom that severely affects the quality of life of terminally ill patients. Its frequency differs considerably between studies. We aimed to characterize the frequency of dyspnea in a palliative care hospital (PCH) and to identify factors predisposing to dyspnea, particularly during the very last days of life, as a function of the underlying disease. Episodes of dyspnea were identified by the computerized extraction of prospectively collected data from the reports of care assistants or from medical observations recorded in the medical files for all stays at our PCH during the last 6 years. There were 6455 hospital stays, 88% ending in the death of the patient; 13,282 episodes of dyspnea were recorded during 2608 hospital stays (40%). Dyspnea was more frequently observed in cases of cancer than in other conditions (RR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.14-1.48). Pulmonary metastasis increased the risk of dyspnea from 37% to 51% (RR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.29-1.46). Dyspnea frequency varied with the primary cancer site, from 24% (brain cancer) to 60% (esophageal cancer). The data for cancer patients staying for more than 6 days who subsequently died indicated that 8% of patients experienced dyspnea exclusively during the last 4 days of the life, independently of the site of the primary cancer. Dyspnea during the last few days of life requires systematic assessment. Exclusively terminal dyspnea should be distinguished from more precocious dyspnea, as the pathophysiological mechanisms and treatments of these two forms are probably different.
