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FDA approves Relistor for treatment of opioid-induced constipation The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Relistor™ (methylnaltrexone bromide) subcutaneous injection for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness who are receiving palliative care, when response to laxative therapy has not been sufficient. (Tue, 6 May 2008 16:41:00 GMT) Size of the Medicare funding shortfall exceeds that of the mortgage crisis American Enterprise Institute study says that if Medicare is to pay all of its bills over the next seventy-five years, $36 trillion in general taxes, measured in today's dollars, must be transferred to the trust funds. (Tue, 6 May 2008 20:50:00 GMT) "Slow medicine" helps elderly be heard at life’s end Grounded in research at the Dartmouth Medical School, slow medicine encourages physicians to put on the brakes when considering care that may have high risks and limited rewards for the elderly. (Tue, 6 May 2008 18:34:00 GMT) BMJ poll shows importance of palliative care A British Medical Journal (BMJ) poll says palliative care is the area in which doctors can make the greatest difference to patient care. (Tue, 6 May 2008 20:50:00 GMT) Health care meets online social media California Healthcare Foundation issues report on online social media and Health 2.0. (Tue, 6 May 2008 18:16:00 GMT) Healthcare for the Lucky With 600,000 uninsured residents, Oregon will use a lottery to help ration limited resources in the Oregon Health Plan. (Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:50:00 GMT) New Guideline on Drug Treatment for Dementia A new AAFP-ACP guideline on pharmacological therapy for dementia reports only modest evidence of clinically meaningful benefit for the average patient. (Sun, 9 Mar 2008 20:13:00 GMT) Metta Institute End-of-Life Care Practitioner Training Metta Institute will offer a six-day residential training July 18-23, 2008, featuring key elements of their year-long End-of-Life Care Practitioner Program. (Fri, 7 Mar 2008 20:07:00 GMT) The Power of Goodbyes How will you say goodbye when you know that life is coming to an end? Debra Bradley Ruder has a new blog at Growth House sharing stories about how real people face farewells . (Sat, 1 Mar 2008 17:54:00 GMT) Stanley Terman, M.D., on Voluntary Refusal of Food and Fluids (mp3 podcast) In this audio podcast psychiatrist Stanley Terman, M.D., discusses why some terminally-ill people stop eating and drinking when life is coming to an end. Psychiatric assessment for depression, anorexia nervosa, mental competence, and control needs should be made in these cases. (Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:16:00 GMT) |
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"Be kind" Goodbye conversations can help a dying person put his or her life in perspective and transmit wishes for the future. This is what hospice professionals often call "life review." It can be done in an informal or structured way (by... |
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lesmorgan: Just discovered that you can add your Twitter feed to your Technorati profile, which was news to me: http://tinyurl.com/6lozfk lesmorgan: Just discovered that you can add your Twitter feed to your Technorati profile, which was news to me: http://tinyurl.com/6lozfk (Thu, 08 May 2008 22:39:14 +0000) |
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Training in Palliative & EOL Care For the Emergency Dept. Setting The EPEC (Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care) Project is in the process of adding on a new training program. Now, in addition to the initial EPEC Training Program and the EPEC-O (EPEC Oncology) Program which was rolled out in... |
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Improving the quality of palliative care Joanne Lynn and colleagues have just come out with a great new book, The Common Sense Guide to Improving Palliative Care. (OxfordUniversity Press, 2007). Like their prior work in this area (Improving Care for the End of Life, now in... |
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Self-perceived symptoms and care needs of patients with severe to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure or chronic renal failure and its consequences for their closest relatives: the research protocol Background: Recent research shows that the prevalence of patients with very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic renal failure (CRF) continues to rise over the next years. Scientific studies concerning self-perceived symptoms and care needs in patients with severe to very severe COPD, CHF and CRF are scarce. Consequently, it will be difficult to develop an optimal patient-centred palliative care program for patients with end-stage COPD, CHF or CRF. The present study has been designed to assess the symptoms, care needs, end-of-life care treatment preferences and communication needs of patients with severe to very severe COPD, CHF or CRF. Additionally, family distress and care giving burden of relatives of these patients will be assessed. DesignA cross-sectional comparative and prospective longitudinal study in patients with end-stage COPD, CHF or CRF has been designed. Patients and their closest relatives will be visited at baseline and every 4 months after baseline for a period of 12 months. The following outcomes will be assessed during home visits: self-perceived symptoms and care needs; daily physical functioning; general health status; end-of-life care treatment preferences; end-of-life care communication and care-giver burden of family caregivers. Additionally, end-of-life care communication and prognosis of survival will be assessed with the physician primarily responsible for the management of the chronic organ failure. Finally, if patients decease during the study period, the baseline preferences with regard to life-sustaining treatments will be compared with the real end-of-life care.DiscussionTo date, the symptoms, care needs, end-of-life care treatment preferences and communication needs of patients with very severe COPD, CHF or CRF remain unknown. The present study will increase the knowledge about the symptoms, care-needs, end-of-life care treatment preferences and communication needs from the views of patients, their loved ones and their treating physician. This knowledge is necessary to optimize palliative care for patients with COPD, CHF or CRF. Here, the study protocol is published to inform others on the possibilities of performing end-of-life care research. A preliminary analysis of the possible strengths, weaknesses, clinical consequences and opportunities for further the research is outlined. |
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CAN YOU DRIVE FOR THE HOSPICE? (Isle of Wight County Press) By Emily Pearce - Friday, May 9, 2008 THE Earl Mountbatten Hospice has been forced to cancel patient appointments due to a desperate shortage of drivers. (Fri, 09 May 2008 13:56:05 GMT) |
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Medicare.gov Data Updates This week the data for the following tools was updated on Medicare.gov: Helpful Contacts Supplier Directory Nursing Home Compare. (Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:34:30 GMT) |
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