| News for physicians caring for the seriously ill |  |
- Study suggests ways to mesh pediatric palliative, ICU care
Pediatric and perinatal palliative care can be sensitive to parents' need to be close to their child and must call on the skills of both palliative and intensive care physicians, Florida International University researchers wrote in the journal Nursing Outlook. Pediatric palliative and end-of-life care is underutilized, and increasing the number of clinicians who have expertise in the area would help. The report includes five recommendations for study and practice. MedWire News (U.K.)
(10/11)     
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| Palliative & Hospice Care Update |  |  |
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- Palliative program in surgical ICU improves care, study says
A program that included palliative care assessments for liver transplant patients admitted to a surgical ICU and meetings between clinicians and families helped to improve end-of-life care, according to a study in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. Researchers found the initiative helped care teams and families reach a consensus on goals sooner, including use of Do Not Resuscitate orders, which gave families more time with patients. MedWire News (U.K.)
(10/9)
- Global survey: Millions of cancer patients without pain relief
Millions of cancer patients worldwide are prevented from legitimately using opioid drugs to treat pain because of restrictions aimed at stopping drug abuse and trafficking, according to a 76-nation study. Lead author Dr. Nathan Cherny, head of palliative medicine and oncology at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, told an oncology conference that patients suffer "terrible unrelieved pain" and families are scarred by what they see. Medscape (free registration)
(10/10)
| Patient & Family Perspective | | |
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- Study links chaplaincy care to higher use of hospice
Hospitals that have chaplaincy services have higher rates of hospice use and lower rates of hospital deaths, according to researchers at HealthCare Chaplaincy. The study, published in BMC Palliative Care, is one in a series intended to spark a rigorous examination of the roles and effects of chaplains in health care. BioMed Central
(10/8)
| Medical Research | | |
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- Stroke increasingly affects younger patients, study finds
The rate of strokes among adults ages 20 to 54 rose nearly twofold between 1993 and 2005, according to a study of almost 5,900 first-time stroke patients in Ohio and Kentucky. The rate increased from 26 to 48 for every 100,000 people for whites, and from 83 to 128 for every 100,000 people for blacks. The study was published in the journal Neurology. Reuters
(10/10)
- Better diabetic neuropathy pain relief seen with duloxetine
Treatment-resistant diabetic neuropathy patients who received duloxetine treatment experienced better pain relief and showed lower Brief Pain Inventory Modified Short Form scores than those who took pregabalin, a study showed. The duloxetine/pregabalin combination, though not superior to monotherapy, showed efficacy and was safe and well-tolerated, researchers reported at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting. Medscape (free registration)
(10/8)
| Health Policy & Practice | | |
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- Report: Finances affect how research is adopted into practice
Financial issues, such as reimbursement differences for treatments, are among the top five reasons why physicians are slow to adopt comparative effectiveness research into clinical practice, according to a report in the journal Health Affairs. RAND researcher Justin Timbie said financial interests influence how study results are interpreted and bias guidelines issued by professional associations that guide physicians. HealthLeaders Media
(10/10)
| Trends & Technology | | |
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- Pill-detection software could be ingredient for smartphone app
The U.S. National Institutes of Health have developed software that can identify pills, helping patients determine whether they are about to take the right one. The application identifies the shape, color and imprint of a pill from an image upload and achieves 91% accuracy in less than a second. The software has not yet been utilized in a consumer app, but the accuracy is bound to improve, say the developers. New Scientist
(10/7)
- IOM recommends clearinghouse of EHR reviews, feedback
The Institute of Medicine recommended establishing a central, publicly available database where users of EHRs can share their experiences and reviews. Organizations "will benefit from lessons learned by similar health care organizations about how to improve the performance and safety of their existing systems," wrote the authors of the IOM report. American Medical News (free content)
(10/10)
| AAHPM News | | |
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Pharmacomistakes in Hospice and Palliative Medicine
What are the 10 most commonly occurring medication errors ("pharmacomistakes") seen in end-of-life care? How do you prevent them? How can you correct them? Learn the answers to these and other questions at an upcoming AAHPM webinar with Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson. Learn more.
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Joint Commission releases Speak Up
Patients and the families of patients living with a serious illness may find help dealing with their emotional, physical and spiritual concerns by turning to palliative care, according to The Joint Commission's new educational campaign, which covers topics such as how and when to get palliative care, questions that palliative caregivers may ask, questions to ask palliative care providers, where to find information, and more. Free downloadable files of all Speak Up™: What you need to know about your serious illness and palliative care videos, brochures and posters (including Spanish language versions of the brochures) are available. The campaign was developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Association of Professional Chaplains, Center to Advance Palliative Care, Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, LIVESTRONG, National Association of Social Workers, and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."
--James Baldwin,
American writer
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| | Recent Hospice and Palliative Medicine SmartBrief Issues:
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- Friday, October 05, 2012
- Wednesday, October 03, 2012
- Friday, September 28, 2012
- Wednesday, September 26, 2012
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