Web of science - exported 12/7/2016

Prostate cancer demonstrates particular characteristics and potential stresses for both patient and partner, yet its consequences for the couple are often inadequately addressed in the clinical setting. One-to-one interviews have shown areas of partner need but do not address the dynamic of the couple which itself holds implications for clinical practice. The participation of nine out of a possible 15 women in interviews with men taking part in a study of information needs suggested the extent of involvement by partners in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the place of death for patients with advanced malignancy is influenced by multiple factors, few studies have systematically investigated the determinants of place of death. The objective of the current retrospective study was to clarify the predictors of home death throughout the duration of home palliative care for Japanese patients with advanced malignant disease.

The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical framework of family members' experience of palliative home care staff based on a secondary analysis of four previous studies. A salutogenic framework was used, i.e. with the origin of health in focus. Data had been collected (semi-structured tape-recorded interviews and postal questionnaires with open-ended questions) from 469 family members of mainly cancer patients referred to advanced palliative home care. Walker and Avant's strategies for theory construction were used.

People with terminal diagnoses are increasingly encouraged to stay at home for the trajectory of their illness. Consequently, relatives and friends are progressively undertaking the informal carer role more frequently in conjunction with formal palliative care teams. Although there is international literature on the efficacy of and satisfaction with publicly funded palliative homecare, to date, there is scant literature reporting satisfaction with privately funded palliative homecare especially in Australia.

The experience and construction of caring in 50 informal cancer carers, 35 women and 15 men, was examined using a critical realist approach and a mixed method design. Women reported higher rates of depression, anxiety, unmet needs and burden of care than men. No gender differences were found in time spent care-giving, suggesting that gendered roles are implicated in distress and coping. Semi-structured interviews with 13 carers were used to identify gender differences in caring, analysed using positioning theory.

Rationale:  Dementia is a common neurodegenerative condition in older age associated with functional decline across multiple domains. This decline impacts not only on the person with dementia, but also on their informal carers and health and aged care systems. With the number of people with dementia rapidly increasing and few effective treatments, there is now a critical need for interventions to improve functional ability in those with the condition.

With the growing burden of chronic illness affecting aging populations, rural health systems are faced with unique challenges to support and promote health in their communities. The Yarmouth Stroke Project was a 5-year initiative aimed at improving health care services for stroke survivors in rural Nova Scotia, Canada. A needs assessment indicated a lack of support to self-manage stroke during community re-integration. The needs reported by stroke survivors and their caregivers included informational and emotional support.

Recognition that informal cancer carers experience unmet needs and psychological distress has led to the development of a range of psycho-social interventions. The efficacy of such interventions is examined through a systematic review of the research literature, following National Health and Medical Research Council and Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Of 13 level II randomised controlled trials (RCTs), only eight showed significant differences across groups, with moderate effect size.

There is a lack of clinical tools to facilitate communication between clinicians and patients about chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) has developed such a tool, which is an eight-item scale for the assessment of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting, and is completed once per cycle of chemotherapy.

This study compared the caring situation, health, self-efficacy, and stress of young (16-25) informal carers (YICs) supporting a family member with mental illness with that of YICs supporting a friend. A sample of 225 carers, assigned to a family group (n = 97) or a friend group (n = 128) completed the questionnaire. It was found that the family group experiences a lower level of support and friends experienced a lower positive value of caring. No other differences in health, general self-efficacy and stress were found.