scholarly journals P-42  Positive contact in palliative care? pilot study: efficacy of person-centred complementary therapies in improving the quality of life of care home service users

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Graham ◽  
Louise Gray
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Complementary Therapies ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Home Service ◽  
Positive Contact

Quality of life change and response shift in patients admitted to palliative care units: a pilot study

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Echteld ◽  
Luc Deliens ◽  
Marcel E Ooms ◽  
Miel W Ribbe ◽  
Gerrit van der Wal
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Response Shift ◽  
Life Change ◽  
Palliative Care Units

scholarly journals Shifting Palliative Care Paradigm in Primary Care From Better Death to Better End-of-Life : A Swiss Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Sommer ◽  
Christopher Chung ◽  
Dagmar M. Haller ◽  
Sophie Pautex
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Advanced Cancer ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Advanced Cancer Patients

Abstract Background: Patients suffering from advanced cancer often loose contact with their primary care physician (PCP) during oncologic treatment and palliative care is introduced very late.The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and procedures for a randomized trial of an intervention to teach PCPs a palliative care approach and communication skills to improve advanced cancer patients’ quality of life. Methods: Observational pilot study in 5 steps. 1) Recruitment of PCPs. 2) Intervention: training on palliative care competencies and communication skills addressing end-of-life issues.3) Recruitment of advanced cancer patients by PCPs. 4) Patients follow-up by PCPs, and assessment of their quality of life by a research assistant 5) Feedback from PCPs using a semi-structured focus group and three individual interviews with qualitative deductive theme analysis.Results: 8 PCPs were trained. PCPs failed to recruit patients for fear of imposing additional loads on their patients. PCPs changed their approach of advanced cancer patients. They became more conscious of their role and responsibility during oncologic treatments and felt empowered to take a more active role picking up patient’s cues and addressing advance directives. They developed interprofessional collaborations for advance care planning. Overall, they discovered the role to help patients to make decisions for a better end-of-life.Conclusions: PCPs failed to recruit advanced cancer patients, but reported a change in paradigm about palliative care. They moved from a focus on helping patients to die better, to a new role helping patients to define the conditions for a better end-of-life.Trial registration : The ethics committee of the canton of Geneva approved the study (2018-00077 Pilot Study) in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki

scholarly journals A mixed-methods pilot study of ‘LIFEView’ audiovisual technology: Virtual travel to support well-being and quality of life in palliative and end-of-life care patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 954-965
Author(s):  
Monisha Kabir ◽  
Jill L Rice ◽  
Shirley H Bush ◽  
Peter G Lawlor ◽  
Colleen Webber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Spiritual Well Being

Background: There is evidence that psychosocial and spiritual interventions of short duration, such as reminiscence therapy, provide positive impacts on quality of life and emotional and existential well-being in adults receiving palliative care. Aim: To determine (1) the feasibility of integrating ‘LIFEView’, a video-based software with >1600 videos of world destinations, in palliative care settings, and (2) positive, neutral or harmful effects of using ‘LIFEView’ videos. Design: A mixed-methods pre–post intervention pilot study was conducted to collect feasibility and preliminary data on physical and psychological symptoms, physiological indicators, spiritual well-being and aspects of quality of life. Setting/participants: Adult patients on an inpatient palliative care unit or receiving care from a community palliative care consultation team who were capable of providing consent and completing the outcome measures were eligible participants. Results: Overall, 27/41 (66%) participants took part in the study. Feasibility criteria, including participant acceptability, low participant burden, tool completion rate and retention rate, were fulfilled, though challenges were experienced with recruitment. Modest improvements, though non-significant, were shown on preliminary data collected on physical and psychological symptoms using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System–revised, spiritual well-being assessed by the 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spiritual Well-Being scale and physiological measurements. Qualitative analysis revealed five themes: motivations for using ‘LIFEView’, perceptions of the technology, reminiscence, ‘LIFEView’ as an adaptable technology and ongoing or future use. Conclusion: A future adequately powered study to investigate the impacts of ‘LIFEView’ on patient well-being and quality of life appears to be feasible.

scholarly journals Core Outcome Measures for Palliative and End-of-Life Research After Severe Stroke: Mixed-Method Delphi Study

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Mason ◽  
Kirsty Boyd ◽  
Fergus Doubal ◽  
Mark Barber ◽  
Marian Brady ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Shared Decision Making ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Potential Outcome ◽  
Stakeholder Workshop

Background and Purpose: Stroke is the second commonest cause of death worldwide and a leading cause of severe disability, yet there are no published trials of palliative care in stroke. To design and evaluate palliative care interventions for people with stroke, researchers need to know what measurable outcomes matter most to patients and families, stroke professionals, and other service providers. Methods: A multidisciplinary steering group of professionals and laypeople managed the study. We synthesized recommendations from respected United Kingdom and international consensus documents to generate a list of outcome domains and then performed a rapid scoping literature review to identify potential outcome measures for use in future trials of palliative care after stroke. We then completed a 3-round, online Delphi survey of professionals, and service users to build consensus about outcome domains and outcome measures. Finally, we held a stakeholder workshop to review and finalize this consensus. Results: We generated a list of 36 different outcome domains from 4 key policy documents. The rapid scoping review identified 43 potential outcome measures that were used to create a shortlist of 16 measures. The 36 outcome domains and 16 measures were presented to a Delphi panel of diverse healthcare professionals and lay service users. Of 48 panelists invited to take part, 28 completed all 3 rounds. Shared decision-making and quality of life were selected as the most important outcome domains for future trials of palliative care in stroke. Additional comments highlighted the need for outcomes to be feasible, measurable, and relevant beyond the initial, acute phase of stroke. The stakeholder workshop endorsed these results. Conclusions: Future trials of palliative care after stroke should include pragmatic outcome measures, applicable to the evolving patient and family experiences after stroke and be inclusive of shared decision-making and quality of life.

scholarly journals Shifting palliative care paradigm in primary care from better death to better end-of-life: a Swiss pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Sommer ◽  
Christopher Chung ◽  
Dagmar M. Haller ◽  
Sophie Pautex
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advanced Cancer ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Advanced Cancer Patients

Abstract Background Patients suffering from advanced cancer often loose contact with their primary care physician (PCP) during oncologic treatment and palliative care is introduced very late. The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and procedures for a randomized trial of an intervention to teach PCPs a palliative care approach and communication skills to improve advanced cancer patients’ quality of life. Methods Observational pilot study in 5 steps. 1) Recruitment of PCPs. 2) Intervention: training on palliative care competencies and communication skills addressing end-of-life issues. 3) Recruitment of advanced cancer patients by PCPs. 4) Patients follow-up by PCPs, and assessment of their quality of life by a research assistant 5) Feedback from PCPs using a semi-structured focus group and three individual interviews with qualitative deductive theme analysis. Results Eight PCPs were trained. Patient recruitment was a challenge for PCPs who feared to impose additional loads on their patients. PCPs became more conscious of their role and responsibility during oncologic treatments and felt empowered to take a more active role picking up patient’s cues and addressing advance directives. They developed interprofessional collaborations for advance care planning. Overall, they discovered the role to help patients to make decisions for a better end-of-life. Conclusions While the intervention was acceptable to PCPs, recruitment was a challenge and a follow up trial was not deemed feasible using the current design but PCPs reported a change in paradigm about palliative care. They moved from a focus on helping patients to die better, to a new role helping patients to define the conditions for a better end-of-life. Trial registration The ethics committee of the canton of Geneva approved the study (2018–00077 Pilot Study) in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

scholarly journals Clown Care In A Palliative Care Unit: A Useful Paradox? A Preliminary Pilot Study Involving Questionnaires And Text Analysis.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laoridi Aouridi-Héritier ◽  
Sophie Alonzo ◽  
Pascale Fabbro-Peray ◽  
Marion Guinamard ◽  
Sylvie Blanchard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Palliative Care Unit ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Secondary Outcome Measure ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Title: The impact of Clown Therapy in a Palliative Care Unit (PCU); a pilot studyBackground: Although several studies on clown therapy have demonstrated benefits for children and the elderly, few studies exist on its impact on quality of life in adult terminal patients.We devised this monocentric, prospective, descriptive pilot study, covering both quantitative and qualitative aspects, to test the hypothesis that “clowning” in the PCU would help to improve the quality of life of patients, and benefit those accompanying them and their carers.Methods: 30 terminal patients [age range 63-79, 19 women, 11 men] from the palliative care unit at Nîmes University Hospital were included in the study from 31/03/2016 to 08/11/2016. All had given written informed consent. 2 clowns visited the patients and their companions, inviting them to take part in 15 to 30-minute improvised role-plays to prepare them for the inevitable separation. Primary outcome measures for the impact of the clowns’ interventions were: The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System evaluating patients’ physical symptoms and the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire assessing patients’ quality of life. The secondary outcome measure was Alceste textual data analysis software to analyse semi-structured interviews held with patients, their companions and carers. Results: However long the clown’s intervention, the ESAS scores indicated a significant improvement in nausea (p=0.0248) and dyspnea (p=0.0476). Scores for depression (p=0.0160) also showed an improvement. A slight difference in the scores for anxiety (p=0.0900) and drowsiness (p=0.0812) was also observed. 2 days after the clowns’ intervention, the Mc Gill scores revealed a significantly greater physical quality of life (p=0.0044) and a very slight increase in the patients’ overall quality of life (p=0.0807). Results of the lexical analysis with Alceste revealed benefits for all those involved and gave an indication for better patient management at the PCU. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrating the impact of “clowning” on various physical and mental symptoms in adult patients indicates the benefits of such interventions for patients, their companions and carers. Although the usefulness of clowns for children with life-threatening diseases is clear, the results obtained with our study clearly indicate the benefits of these interventions in adult, end-of-life patients. Further studies would be required to confirm these findings.Date of first registration : 20/11/2015Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02610452This research was registered under the following reference : IDRCB 2015-A00719-40 and approved by the local committee for the protection of persons, CPP Sud-Méditerranée III-Nîmes on November 6th, 2015 under the reference 2015.06.03.

Meaning-centered psychotherapy integrated with elements of compassion: A pilot study to assess feasibility and utility

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 643-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Gil ◽  
Clara Fraguell ◽  
Llúcia Benito ◽  
Anna Casellas-Grau ◽  
Joaquin T. Limonero
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Previous Treatment ◽  
Brief Interventions ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Interventions

AbstractObjectiveThe main objective of this study is to establish emotional benefits of promoting and maintaining meaning in palliative care patients in the final weeks of life and to assess the benefits of including the compassion and self-compassion constructs in the Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy Model (MCP).MethodFifty-one cancer inpatients were randomly assigned to one of the three brief interventions for cancer patients in the end of life: the MCP-palliative care version, the MCP-compassionate palliative care (MCP-CPC), or standard counseling. Feasibility, acceptability, and utility were assessed in each condition. Likewise, patients’ opinions about the effectiveness of interventions’ elements were also collected.ResultOf the 51 patients that began one of the three interventions, 30 completed the three-session interventional program, as well as the pre- and posttreatment questionnaires. No significant differences were found between therapies in terms of the positive feedback of patients regarding the structure, focus, and length of the all three psychotherapeutic interventions. The most helpful elements or constructs reported by patients were meaning, self-compassion, compassion, legacy, and courage and commitment.Significance of resultsAn abbreviated version of MCP-CPC tailored to the needs of palliative care patients appears to be feasible, acceptable, and helps patients cope with the process of dying. Further research in bigger samples is needed to establish evidence for the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of a brief MCP-CPC for palliative care patients in their last weeks of life. More proposals of further elements are also needed to improve the results. Such research can create or refine previous treatment approaches which improve the quality of life and psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer.

scholarly journals Complementary therapy in palliative care: A synthesis of qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1332-1339
Author(s):  
Megan Armstrong ◽  
Nuriye Kupeli ◽  
Kate Flemming ◽  
Patrick Stone ◽  
Susie Wilkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Complementary Therapies ◽  
Complementary Therapy ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative

Background: Interventions delivered in palliative care are complex and their evaluation through qualitative and quantitative research can lead to contrasting results. In a systematic review of trials, the effectiveness results of complementary therapies in palliative care were inconclusive; however, our qualitative synthesis showed participants perceived them to be beneficial. Aim: Use a novel methodology to synthesise evidence from qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews on complementary therapy in palliative care to explore the following: (1) If interventions delivered in trials reflect how participants in qualitative studies report they are delivered in real-life settings and (2) whether quality of life measures used in trials capture perceived benefits that are reported in qualitative studies. Methods: Two matrix tables were formulated. In one, key components in delivery of the complementary therapy from the qualitative synthesis which are as follows: (1) relationship with therapist, (2) comfortable environment, (3) choices (e.g. area of massage) and (4) frequent sessions, were plotted against intervention description, to explore matches and mismatches. In the other, items included in quality of life scales were compared with perceived benefits of complementary therapy. Results: None of the trials included all four key delivery components. The five quality of life scales used in the trials failed to capture the range of perceived benefits from the complementary therapies and many included inappropriate or redundant items. Conclusions: By integrating qualitative and quantitative review data, we determined the reasons trials may be inconclusive. This methodological exemplar provides a framework for understanding complexity in outcomes across trials and a direction for future research.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document