Machine learning helps to identify patients in need of hospice | Palliative care response in infectious disease outbreaks | Naloxone via nasal spray is best for use by untrained individuals
St. Croix Hospice in Minnesota uses a machine learning system that can look at hospice data to find patients that may die within 7 to 10 days, and has used the data to make visits to patients during the final three days of life. Machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, can be used to predict when a patient may need more intense levels of care or are at risk for hospitalization.
Infectious disease outbreaks can be one of the most significant challenges for palliative care, according to Joan Marston, Founder of PALCHASE, Palliative Care in Humanitarian Aid Situations and Emergencies. "Humanitarian health response organisations are working on integrating palliative care into their programmes and there is an increasing awareness of the need for palliative care practitioners to become more actively involved in training, advice, advocacy and the provision of palliative care," she writes.
The most effective way for untrained community members to administer naloxone for an opioid overdose is through nasal spray, according to a study published in the journal Pharmacotherapy. Untrained study participants administered the drug more efficiently and faster than injectable or auto-injector, the other FDA approved forms of naloxone.
A psychosocial intervention given to caregivers under immense psychological stress was found to improve quality of life, caregiving burden, symptoms of anxiety and depression while increasing self-efficacy and coping skills, according to a study in Cancer. The intervention, BMT-CARE, integrated self-care and treatment-related education with cognitive-behavioral skills to promote coping by caregivers of patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.
An analysis of health records from active-duty service members found those who used nonpharmacologic therapies for chronic pain were less likely to have long-term adverse outcomes, compared with those who did not take them, researchers reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Former chair of the AAFP Commission on Health of the Public and Science David O'Gurek, M.D., said while the results may not be surprising, more needs to be done to determine which nonpharmacologic therapies do and do not work.
Research involving data from over 108,000 people from Denmark indicated that a diagnosis of lymphopenia, or low lymphocyte blood cell levels, were linked with a 60% increased risk of mortality due to any cause. Details of the study were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Attend the State of the Science Research Symposium Network with fellow investigators and gain insights to new research and methods in hospice and palliative medicine at the State of the Science. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from leading researchers, network as a community, and learn the latest methods. Registration is now open.
A joint FDA advisory committee advised against approval of Intellipharmaceutics' Aximris, an extended-release opioid, the third pain drug rejected by the panel this week. Nektar Therapeutics' oxycodegol, and a drug combination of tramadol and celecoxib, also failed to gain the panel's support.
GoodRx co-founder Stephen Buck worked with technology expert Omar Mehmood and oncologists to develop the Cancer Survival Rates website to make it easier for people with cancer and their families to find information about cancer prognoses. "We want this to be a conversation starter," Buck said.
EHR system vendors, the American Medical Association and two lawmakers are among those pushing for restrictions on proposed rules intended to give patients greater access to their own health data. The rules would grant third-party app developers access to EHRs, which IT vendors say compromises confidential business information as well as patient privacy.
Start out your New Year with resilience and well-being resources from AAHPM to help think about new ways to build resilience for you, your team, your organization, and the healthcare community. As we work together to affect policy change and improve our systems, we hope to find ways to renew our spirit and continue to find joy in our work.
