Nu för tiden finns det livsuppehållande behandling som kan förlänga patienters liv. Detta kan göra det svårt för sjukvårdspersonalen att sätta gränsen för när övergången från kurativ till palliativ vård ska utföras. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelser och erfarenheter när beslut ska fattas om patienters övergång från kurativ till palliativ vård inom slutenvården.  Studien genomfördes som en litteraturstudie där 15 vetenskapliga artiklar granskades och analyserades. I resultatet framkom det fyra huvudkategorier: delaktighet, tidpunkt, utbildning/erfarenhet och emotionella reaktioner. Då sjuksköterskor spenderade mycket tid med patienter och hade en holistisk syn ansåg många att deras åsikt inte blev respekterad av läkarna när det kom till att vara delaktig i beslut gällande övergången från kurativ till palliativ vård. Tidpunkten hade betydelse för när beslutet fattades samt även när den kurativa behandlingen avslutades. Det fanns en skillnad mellan sjuksköterskor beroende på hur lång erfarenhet de hade och hur säkra de kände sig i sitt arbete. Sjuksköterskor upplevde att det var jobbigt när det inte fanns klara direktiv på hur den fortsatta behandlingen skulle fortlöpa. För att sjuksköterskor skulle känna sig säkrare borde mer och bättre utbildning införas för samtliga professioner inom hälso- och sjukvården samt mer forskning på patienters upplevelser av situationen. / Nowadays, there are life-sustaining treatment that can prolong patients’ lives. This may make it difficult for medical personnel to set the limit for when the transition from curative to palliative care should be performed in institutional care. The purpose of the study was to describe the nurses’ experiences when a decision would be taken on when the patient went from curative to palliative care. In this study fifteen scientific articles were reviewed and analyzed. Four headlines emerged from the result: involvement, point in time, education/experience and feelings. One thing nurses had in common was that they thought that their opinion did not matter for the doctors about the transition from curative to palliative care, even though they spent more time with the patient and had a holistic point of view on the situation. The point in time was important in regards to when the decision was made and when the curative treatment was brought to an end. One difference between nurses was their experience and how secure they felt within their occupation. The nurses felt that it was difficult when there were not straight directives on how the treatment should be carried out. To be more secure in their jobs as nurses, there should be a higher level of education introduced throughout all of the health and medical care fields and there should be more research done about the patient’s experiences in their situation.

Bakgrund : Vård av barn i livets slutskede och deras föräldrar innefattar att försöka se både barnet och föräldrarnas behov och som sjuksköterska bemöta dessa. Syfte: Syftet är att utifrån aktuell forskning beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda till barn i livets slutskede och till deras föräldrar. Metod: Studien är utförd som en systematisk litteraturstudie på kvalitativa studier. Sökningarna utfördes i PubMed, Cinahl och PsychINFO. Sex artiklar inkluderades efter kvalitetsgranskning och analyserades med innehållsanalys. Resultat: Sjuksköterskorna upplever att det är emotionellt påfrestande men också givande och bekräftande att vårda till barn i livets slutskede. Sjuksköterskornas erfarenhet är att barnens existentiella frågor är svåra att bemöta. Samtidigt anser de att organisatoriska faktorer försvårar och upptar tid och resurser från patientarbetet. Copinstrategier var något sjuksköterskorna använde sig av eller som saknades för att klara av arbetet. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor erfar svårighet att svara på barns frågor om döden och inte engagera sig för mycket emotionellt. Det professionella förhållningssättet var något som var problematiskt att upprätthålla vid vård av barn i livets slutskede. Brist på resurser och tid genererade att de kände en oförmåga att lindra barnens psykiska och fysiska lidande och föräldrarnas sorg. Sjuksköterska har behov informella och formella strategier för att klara av att vårda barn i livets slutskede och deras föräldrar.

The purpose of this practice inquiry project is to create a model for implementing an outpatient palliative care clinic within an organization of healthcare providers who participate in shared savings for Medicare patients, also known as, an accountable care organization (ACO). The goal of this project is that it can be used by future health care administrators to successfully create and implement an outpatient palliative care clinic. The philosophical nursing foundation for palliative care is discussed to set the groundwork for the model proposed. The benefits of palliative care nursing for patients, families and the ACO are discussed to support the importance of opening an outpatient palliative care clinic. A step by step model has been developed and presented on how to plan and implement an outpatient palliative care program. Tools have been proposed to help successfully and effectively create, implement and evaluate outpatient palliative care clinics within an ACO.

Darbo tikslas – ištirti psichosocialinių paslaugų organizavimą slaugos ligoninėje paliatyvių ligonių artimiesiems. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Ištirti paliatyvių ligonių artimųjų esamų psichosocialinių paslaugų poreikį. 2. Įvertinti psichosocialinių paslaugų poreikio tenkinimą. 3. Išsiaiškinti naujų psichosocialinių paslaugų poreikį. Tyrimo metodika: Tyrimo objektas – psichosocialinių paslaugų organizavimas slaugos ligoninėje paliatyvių ligonių artimiesiems. Tyrimo metodas – anoniminė paliatyvių ligonių artimųjų (n=67) anketinė apklausa. Duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant statistinės duomenų analizės SPSS 13.0 for Windows versiją ir Microsoft Exel programą. Rezultatai. Didžiajai daliai tiriamųjų sąveikos su sveikatos priežiūros darbuotojais (88,4 proc.), ligoniui teikiamos priežiūros ir procedūrų kokybės (89,1 proc.), informacijos ir pagalbos (81,2 proc.) bei psichologinės paramos (68,0 proc.) poreikiai yra svarbūs. Lyčių ir slaugymo patirtį turinčių/neturinčių tiriamųjų poreikių svarba skyrėsi: sąveikos su sveikatos priežiūros darbuotojais ir psichologinės paramos poreikis svarbesnis moterims ir artimąjį slaugiusiems asmenims, o ligoniui teikiamos priežiūros ir procedūrų bei informacijos ir pagalbos poreikis svarbesnis moterims ir artimojo neslaugiusiesiems. Tiriamųjų poreikiai patenkinami nevienodai. Sąveikos su sveikatos priežiūros darbuotojais poreikis patenkinamas (49,7 proc.), tačiau labiau užtikrinamas moterims ir slaugymo patirtį turintiesiems. Priežiūros ir procedūrų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the study - to analyse the management of psychosocial services for the relatives of palliative care patients at nursing hospital. Objectives: 1. To determine the demand for existing psychosocial services for the relatives of palliative care patients. 2. To evaluate supply of this demand. 3. To establish the demand for new psychosocial services. Material and methods. The study object – management of psychosocial services for the relatives of palliative care patients at nursing hospital. The survey implied the anonymous questionnaire (n=67) for the relatives of palliative care patients. Statistical data analysis was performed using statistical package „ SPSS 13.0 for Windows“ and „Microsoft Excel“ software. Results. The majority of responders pointed out, that the needs to interact with health care staff (88.4%), to receive high quality of health care and procedures (89.1%), information and aid (81.2%), and psychological support (68.0%) all are relevant. The analysis of demands' perception regarding to gender and prior experience of care (experienced subjects and non-experienced subjects) demonstrated following differences: relevance of interaction with health care staff and of psychological support was higher for women and experienced subjects, while the quality of care and procedures as well as information and aid were more relevant for women and non-experienced subjects. The coverage of demands was different. The needs of interaction with health care staff was... [to full text]

Introduction There is a need in palliative care for development of structured methods to assess quality and support improvement. This need is present both within and outside specialised palliative care. Honest information from physicians is regarded as an important part of palliative care. Information about the transition to end-of-life care (ITEOL), conveyed by physicians to patients, has also been described as a ‘breakpoint conversation’. Quality registers enable monitoring and improvement of quality of care, and clinical research. The Swedish Register of Palliative Care (SRPC) is a Swedish national quality register that collects data from hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and home care, with an end-of-life questionnaire (ELQ) about palliative care content focusing on the last week of life. Aims Study I – The aim was to examine the validity of the ELQ from the SRPC. Study II – The aim was to examine whether participation in the SRPC increases the quality of palliative care over a three-year period regarding eight items in the ELQ. Study III – The aim was to examine whether an educational intervention for physicians and nurses in nursing homes and hospitals increases the proportion of patients who receive ITEOL. Study IV – The aim was to describe how patients with cancer perceive the information they receive from physicians during palliative chemotherapy. Methods Study I – Data from 100 medical records and data from the paper versions of the ELQ filled in at a specialised palliative unit were compared with data reported to the SRPC. Study II – Data from eight items in the ELQ reported to the SRPC from all healthcare units that had reported patients continuously during a three-year period were compared year-by-year with logistic regression. Study III – Two municipalities (in charge of nursing homes) and two hospitals were randomised to receive an interactive half-day course about ITEOL for physicians and nurses. Four hospitals and four municipalities were assigned matched controls. The proportion of patients who received ITEOL before and after the intervention was measured with the ELQ. The effect of the intervention was analysed with a multivariable logistic regression model. Study IV – Fifteen semi-structured interviews with patients with incurable cancer were conducted, transcribed verbatim and analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results Study I – The questions in the ELQ showed a congruity of 22% to 100% when comparing data from medical records with data reported to the SRPC. Eight questions fell below 80%. The paper versions filled in at the unit and the data reported to the SRPC showed a congruity of between 91% and 100%. Study II – The prevalence of six symptoms decreased. The prescription of PRN (pro re nata – ‘as needed’) medications for pain, nausea, anxiety and death rattle increased. A higher proportion of patients died in their place of preference. The patient’s next of kin was more often offered a follow-up appointment after the patient’s death. There was no change in the proportion of patients or next of kin who received ITEOL. Study III – The proportion of patients in the intervention group who received ITEOL increased from 35.1% (during a six-month period before the intervention) to 42.0% (during a six-month period after the intervention). The proportion in the control group increased from 30.4% to 33.7%. The effect of the intervention was significant (p=0.005) in the multivariable model. Study IV – Three categories were disclosed during the analytical process: ‘living with a death sentence’, ‘depending on chemotherapy’, and ‘living with uncertainty’. Conclusions A national quality register has the potential of contributing to quality improvement in palliative care. Study I showed varied validity in the ELQ, implying a need to modify the questionnaire. Study II showed that participation in the SRPC was covariant with quality improvements in end-of-life care over time. Study III showed that more patients received ITEOL after an educative half-day intervention directed to physicians and nurses. Study IV showed that patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy perceived that their disease was incurable and deadly, and that conditions for future treatment and survival were uncertain.

Neuropathic pain in a common problem encountered in palliative care. When neuropathic pain is diagnosed, appropriate treatment is important in limiting the severe psychosocial impairment that can ensue with undertreated pain. Proper evaluation of the patient to clarify the type of pain experienced is the first step to determine appropriate management. Tapentadol is an oral mu-opioid receptor agonist and a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor developed by Ortho-McNeil Janssen Pharmaceuticals and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in November 2008 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adult patients and for chronic pain in August 2011 in an extended release form. Tapentadol has been studied for use in nociceptive pain but few studies have yet been done to assess its efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

The biphasic cuirass ventilation (BCV) device is an alternative respiratory support device for patients with chronic respiratory failure. Considered by some a “forgotten” mode of supportive ventilation, the device is portable, lightweight, and easy to operate. Biphasic cuirass ventilation can also be used to rapidly resuscitate patients in acute respiratory distress and requires minimal technical skill to operate. Biphasic cuirass ventilation can be employed by the patient’s caregiver in the home setting, making it a viable alternative to other forms of mechanical ventilation (e.g., BiPAP) for patients enrolled in home hospice or palliative care. The article reviews current knowledge and aims to enhance awareness and encourage further study about cuirass ventilation, particularly with regard to its use in treating patients in the palliative care setting and in the home.

The end of life discussions can often be difficult for a multitude of reasons. Our culture is pervasive with ideas of mortality, and that medicine can avert this human constant. Medicine, as a field, must embrace our limitations so that we can engage in honest discussions with the families and the patients regarding the end of life care.

- / The diagnosis of hallucination for unusual perceptions such as deathbed visions, near-death experiences, or visions of the bereaved, is unhelpful in palliative medicine both academically and clinically. This paper reviews the broad prevalence data about unusual perceptions in the general population as to identifying the more narrow epidemiological source from which the much smaller focus on hallucinations seem to emerge. Major debates and limitations of current hallucination research are reviewed to show that current academic and clinical certainties are largely confined to unusual perceptions that can be readily linked to psychopathology, quite specific organic disease states and psychoactive drug use. Current state-of-the-art in hallucination studies does not warrant broad or uncritical use of this type of diagnosis in end-of-life care. Conclusions from interdisciplinary (as opposed to single discipline) hallucination studies suggest that the way forward for clinical and research work in palliative medicine may lie in a more biographical and cultural approach to unusual perceptions at the end of life.

<p>Obesity is a major health problem in the Western world. Mean birth weight has increased during the last 25 years. One explanation is that the proportion of large for gestational age (LGA) infants has increased. Such infants risk developing obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life. Despite the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia, their postnatal metabolic adaptation has not been investigated. Our data, obtained with stable isotope labeled compounds, demonstrate that newborn LGA infants have increased lipolysis and decreased insulin sensitivity. After administration of glucagon, the plasma levels of glucose and the rate of glucose production increased. The simultaneous increase in insulin correlated with the decrease in lipolysis, indicating an antilipolytic effect of insulin in these infants.</p><p>We also demonstrated an intergenerational effect of being born LGA, since women born LGA, were at higher risk of giving birth to LGA infants than women not born LGA. Further, the LGA infants formed three subgroups: born long only, born heavy only, and born both long and heavy. Infants born LGA of women with high birth weight or adult obesity were at higher risk of being LGA concerning weight alone, predisposing to overweight and obesity at childbearing age. In addition we found that pregnant women with gestational diabetes were at increased risk of giving birth to infants that were heavy alone. This could explain the risk of both perinatal complications and later metabolic disease in infants of this group of women.</p><p>To identify determinants of fetal growth, 20 pregnant women with a wide range of fetal weights were investigated at 36 weeks of gestation. Maternal fat mass was strongly associated with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was related to glucose production, which correlated positively with fetal size. The variation in resting energy expenditure, which was closely related to fetal weight, was largely explained by BMI, insulin resistance, and glucose production. Lipolysis was not rate limiting for fetal growth in this group of women. Consequently, high maternal glucose production due to a high fat mass may result in excessive fetal growth.</p>