Palliative care

Background: Inequities in the provision of palliative care for people with cardiac disease have been well documented in the literature. Despite experiencing significant palliative care needs, those with cardiac disease are less likely to be referred to specialist palliative care services and more likely to die in a hospital when compared to those with cancer. The unpredictable trajectory of heart failure has been identified as a key barrier to providing palliative care with many people experiencing a long period of stability with appropriate medical treatment.

Background: Although cancer and HIV/AIDS are common causes of death in Vietnam, limited data exist on their palliative care needs. As palliative care becomes part of Universal Health Coverage, evidence is needed to scale up appropriate care. Objectives: To elicit from people with cancer or HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, and their caregivers, the specific multidimensional symptoms and concerns that cause serious health-related suffering.

Background: New public health approaches to palliative care highlight the role of communities in care, yet there is little evidence of studies on community-led initiatives in the palliative care context. Objectives: Therefore, the aim of this study, which took place in Auckland, New Zealand, was to (1) explore Pacific family carers' views on what they need to feel supported as they care for older family members at the end of life and (2) to devise a resource that reflects their views that may be used to raise community awareness about these needs.

Background: Family caregivers often report having unmet support needs when caring for someone with life-threatening illness. They are at risk for psychological distress, adverse physical symptoms and negatively affected quality of life. Objectives: This study aims to explore associations between family caregivers’ support needs and quality of life when caring for a spouse receiving specialized palliative home care.

Aims: To determine registered nurses' and care assistants' difficulties and strategies for preserving dignity of migrant patients in the last phase of life and their families. Background: Preserving dignity of patients in a palliative phase entails paying attention to the uniqueness of patients. Migrant patients often have particular needs and wishes that care staff find difficult to address, or meet, and hence the patient's dignity might be at stake.

Background: Recognized disparities in quality of end‐of‐life care exist. Our aim was to assess the quality of care for patients dying from cancer, as perceived by bereaved relatives, within hospitals in seven European and South American countries. Materials and Methods: A postbereavement survey was conducted by post, interview, or via tablet in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, U.K., Germany, Norway, and Poland.

Context: Hospital-to-home transitions, particularly at the end of life, can be challenging for patients and their family caregivers. Therefore, there is a need to better understand gaps in expectations and experiences of these transitions. Theory can inform the creation of an intervention aimed at improving the hospital-to-home transition.

Background: Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community have encountered discrimination and stigmatization related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity both within healthcare establishments and in the larger community. Despite the literature describing inequities in healthcare, very little published research exists on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer patients and family members in hospice care.

Background: Understanding challenges of family caregivers within specific palliative care contexts is needed. Objective: To describe the challenges of family caregivers of patients with cancer who receive outpatient palliative care. Methods: We summarized the most common and most challenging problems for 80 family caregivers of cancer patients receiving outpatient palliative care in the midwestern United States.

Background: Preserving patient dignity is a fundamental value in palliative care and is associated with an increased sense of meaning at end of life. The empiric Dignity Model, developed by Chochinov et al. (2002), identifies physical and psychosocial issues impacting dignity and provides guidance for dignity conserving care. Aim: This study's objectives are to explore the generalizability of the empiric Dignity Model to Chinese Canadians an immigrant population influenced by both Western and Asian values.