Proactive, multidisciplinary approach to supportive medicine: Improving health outcomes and care utilization.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6537-6537
Author(s):  
Brooke Worster ◽  
Valerie P Csik ◽  
Jared Minetola ◽  
Gregory D. Garber ◽  
Alison Petok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Oncology Care ◽  
The Impact

6537 Background: Evidence suggests that cancer patients who receive palliative care early in their disease have improved quality of life, decreased emergency department (ED) visits, and less aggressive end-of-life care. In 2017, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson established the Neu Center for Supportive Medicine and Cancer Survivorship (NCSMCS) as a model for integrated care in the outpatient setting for all cancer patients. A multidisciplinary team consisting of palliative care physicians, social work, psychology, and navigation conducts biopsychosocial screening and initiates a personalized care plan for each patient to clarify treatment goals and offer assistance. Objectives: To use biopsychosocial screening at specified time points to identify needs and evaluate the impact of supportive care as part of standardized oncology care regardless of stage. Methods: This assessment utilized Oncology Care Model (OCM) data for Jefferson Medicare patients between 7/1/16 to 7/31/18. Incidence of ED admits ED/Observation and admissions were evaluated as well as ICU utilization and advanced care planning. Poisson regression was used to generate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to facilitate the comparison of post- vs. pre- incidence rates of hospitalization. Results: The post-intervention hospital admissions decreased by 31% in NCSMCS (IRR 0.69; 95% CI 0.48-0.98) and by 10% in Non-NCSMCS (IRR 0.90; 0.84-0.96) and advanced care plans were more likely to be on file for NCSMCS (9.0% vs. 4.9%). The intensive care unit (ICU) admissions were decreased by 17% among Non-NCSMCS (IRR 0.83; 95% CI 0.74-0.93). The utilization rates for ED admissions were not statistically different among both the groups. Conclusions: The preliminary data is promising and impact will be monitored as the intervention is expanded. Reducing admissions has benefits from both a cost savings as well as quality of life perspective. Future analyses will consider the impact of the intervention on a patient’s quality of life.

Palliative Care Unit at Home: Impact on Quality of Life in Cancer Patients at the End of Life in a Rural Environment

2021 ◽  
pp. 104990912110383
Author(s):  
Maria Elena Iriarte Moncho ◽  
Vicente Palomar-Abril ◽  
Teresa Soria-Comes
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Medical Department ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Introduction: Advanced cancer is accompanied by a substantial burden of symptoms, and palliative care (PC) plays an essential role, especially at the end of life (EOL). In fact, a comprehensive PC through Home Palliative Care Units (HPCU) has been associated with reducing potentially aggressive care at the EOL. We aim to study the impact of HPCU on the quality of assistance of cancer patients at Alcoy Health Department. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including patients diagnosed with terminal cancer at the Medical Department of Hospital Virgen de los Lirios who died between January 2017 and December 2018. The Multivariate Cox regression model was used to assess the impact of HPCU assistance on the quality of life indicators. Results: 388 patients were included. The median age was 71 years; 65% patients were male, and 68% presented with a 0-2 score on the ECOG scale. On the multivariate analysis, a lack of assistance by HPCU was associated with a higher risk of consulting in the emergency department (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02-1.67), of hospital admissions (OR = 4.72, 95% CI: 2.45-9.09), a higher probability of continuing active treatment (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.44-4.67), and a greater probability of dying in hospital (OR = 6.52, 95% CI: 3.78-11.27). Conclusions: Patients receiving HPCU assistance have a lower number of emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and are more likely to die at home. Taken together, these results support the relevance of HPCU providing a high quality attention of cancer patients.

Assessing the impact of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting on patients’ quality of life: An Arabic version of the Functional Living Index-Emesis

2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522199844
Author(s):  
Abdullah M Alhammad ◽  
Nora Alkhudair ◽  
Rawan Alzaidi ◽  
Latifa S Almosabhi ◽  
Mohammad H Aljawadi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Nausea And Vomiting ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Arabic Version ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
The Impact

Introduction Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is a serious complication of cancer treatment that compromises patients’ quality of life and treatment adherence, which necessitates regular assessment. Therefore, there is a need to assess patient-reported nausea and vomiting using a validated scale among Arabic speaking cancer patient population. The objective of this study was to translate and validate the Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE) instrument in Arabic, a patient-reported outcome measure designed to assess the influence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting on patients’ quality of life. Methods Linguistic validation of an Arabic-language version was performed. The instrument was administered to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in a tertiary hospital's cancer center in Saudi Arabia. Results One-hundred cancer patients who received chemotherapy were enrolled. The participants’ mean age was 53.3 ± 14.9 years, and 50% were female. Half of the participants had a history of nausea and vomiting with previous chemotherapy. The Cronbach coefficient alpha for the FLIE was 0.9606 and 0.9736 for nausea and vomiting domains, respectively, which indicated an excellent reliability for the Arabic FLIE. The mean FLIE score was 110.9 ± 23.5, indicating no or minimal impact on daily life (NIDL). Conclusions The Arabic FLIE is a valid and reliable tool among the Arabic-speaking cancer population. Thus, the Arabic version of the FLIE will be a useful tool to assess the quality of life among Arabic speaking patients receiving chemotherapy. Additionally, the translated instrument will be a useful tool for future research studies to explore new antiemetic treatments among cancer patients.

scholarly journals Coping Strategies, Pain, and Quality of Life in Patients with Breast Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 4469
Author(s):  
Edyta Ośmiałowska ◽  
Weronika Misiąg ◽  
Mariusz Chabowski ◽  
Beata Jankowska-Polańska
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Multidisciplinary Care ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Eortc Qlq ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Each year, around 16,500 women in Poland are diagnosed with breast cancer, the second most common cause of death in women. In Poland, nearly 70,000 women live with breast cancer diagnosed within the last 5 years. Quality of life (QoL) research is particularly important in cancer patients, as it provides knowledge on their psychological and physical health, as well as the environment in which the patients function, all of which is essential to implementing multidisciplinary care involving the best use of the appropriate methods. Carrying the burden of cancer is a major challenge for patients. The strategy that patients use to cope with breast cancer significantly affects their quality of life. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of coping strategies on the QoL in breast cancer patients. Material and Methods: The prospective study included a group of 202 women who had undergone surgical treatment for breast cancer at the Lower Silesian Cancer Center and who reported for follow-up appointments at the Oncology Clinic and the Surgical Oncology Clinic. For the study, we used the: EORTC QLQ-C30 cancer questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-BR23 module, Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) scale, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity, as well as the patients’ medical records, hospital records, and our own survey form. Results: The mean patient age was 53 years. Most patients had been diagnosed with cancer between one and two years before. In the women studied, there was a negative association between QoL and the choice of a destructive strategy for coping with cancer, and a positive one between QoL and a constructive coping strategy. Severe pain caused by the disease and its treatment significantly decreased the patients’ QoL in multiple domains. Conclusions: Patients choosing constructive strategies obtained higher QoL scores, while greater reliance on destructive coping strategies was associated with significantly worse QoL. In all functioning domains, higher levels of pain were associated with poorer QoL and more severe symptoms associated with the disease and its treatment.

scholarly journals Overburden of the caregiver of cancer patients in palliative care

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Augusto Paes Lima Rocha ◽  
Elisângela De Moraes Rocha ◽  
Marli Elisabete Machado ◽  
Andressa De Souza ◽  
Felipe Barreto Schuch
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Zarit Burden Interview ◽  
Calidad De Vida ◽  
Independent Association ◽  
The Impact

Objetivo: correlacionar o impacto da sobrecarga do cuidador na qualidade de vida do paciente oncológico em cuidados paliativos Método: trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, descritivo, observacional, transversal, com 50 pacientes oncológicos em cuidados paliativos e 50 cuidadores. Aplicou-se um questionário sociodemográfico para os cuidadores e familiares, a Escala Zarit Burden Interview, o Questionário EORT QLQ –C15-PAL, a Escala de Resiliência Adaptada de Wagnild & Young e a Escala de Pensamento Catastrófico da Dor, uso do Teste t, Correlação de Spearman, Correlação de Pearson e regressão linear. Utilizou-se o Programa SPSS, versão 20.0 para a análise dos dados. Resultados: informa-se que os domínios da qualidade de vida que mostraram associação independente com a sobrecarga do cuidador foram a fatiga, a falta de apetite, a constipação e o impacto global. Manteve-se associação independente pelo catastrofismo da dor do paciente com a sobrecarga do cuidador, não houve associação entre a resiliência do paciente e a sobrecarga do cuidador e 40% dos cuidadores apresentaram sobrecarga severa. Conclusão: nota-se que o aumento da sobrecarga do cuidador diminui a qualidade de vida do paciente oncológico em cuidados paliativos. Descritores: Sobrecarga de Cuidadores; Qualidade de Vida; Cuidados Paliativos; Oncologia; Dor do Câncer, Resiliência.AbstractObjective: to correlate the impact of caregiver burden on the quality of life of cancer patients in palliative care. Method: this is a quantitative, descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study with 50 cancer patients in palliative care and 50 caregivers. A sociodemographic questionnaire was applied for caregivers and family members, the Zarit Burden Interview Scale, the EORT QLQ –C15-PAL Questionnaire, the Wagnild & Young Adapted Resilience Scale and the Catastrophic Pain Thinking Scale, using the t Test, Spearman's correlation, Pearson's correlation and linear regression. The SPSS program, version 20.0, was used for data analysis. Results: it is reported that the domains of quality of life that showed an independent association with caregiver burden were fatigue, lack of appetite, constipation and the global impact. An independent association was maintained due to the catastrophism of the patient's pain with the burden of the caregiver, there was no association between the patient's resilience and the burden of the caregiver and 40% of the caregivers presented severe burden. Conclusion: it is noted that the increase in caregiver burden reduces the quality of life of cancer patients in palliative care. Descriptors: Caregivers Burden; Quality of Life; Palliative Care; Oncology; Cancer Pain; Resiliencia.ResumenObjetivo: correlacionar el impacto de la carga del cuidador en la calidad de vida de los pacientes oncológicos en cuidados paliativos Método: este es un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo, observacional, transversal con 50 pacientes oncológicos en cuidados paliativos y 50 cuidadores. Se aplicó un cuestionario sociodemográfico para cuidadores y miembros de la familia, la Escala Zarit Burden Interview, el Cuestionario EORT QLQ-C15-PAL, la Escala de Resiliencia Adaptada Wagnild& Young y la Escala de Pensamiento de Dolor Catastrófico, usando la Prueba t, Correlación de Spearman, la Correlación de Pearson y regresión lineal. El programa SPSS, versión 20.0, se utilizó para el análisis de datos. Resultados: se informa que los dominios de calidad de vida que mostraron una asociación independiente con la carga del cuidador fueron fatiga, falta de apetito, estreñimiento y el impacto global. Se mantuvo una asociación independiente debido al catastrofismo del dolor del paciente con la sobrecarga del cuidador, no hubo asociación entre la resistencia del paciente y la sobrecarga del cuidador y el 40% de los cuidadores presentaron una sobrecarga severa. Conclusión: se observa que el aumento de la sobrecarga del cuidador reduce la calidad de vida de los pacientes oncológicos en cuidados paliativos. Descriptores: Carga del Cuidador; Calidad de Vida; Cuidados Paliativos; Oncología; Dolor de Cáncer, Resiliencia.

scholarly journals Summarizing the Evidence Base for Palliative Oncology Care: A Critical Evaluation of the Meta-analyses

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117955492091572 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L Rogers ◽  
Laura M Perry ◽  
Michael Hoerger
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Palliative Oncology ◽  
Oncology Care ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Psychological Quality Of Life

Background: Palliative care is a specialized approach to symptom management that focuses on supporting patients’ physical and psychological quality of life throughout the disease course. In oncology, palliative care has been increasing in utilization. The evidence base for such care is also growing through the use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In this review, we aim to integrate the findings from 4 meta-analyses of palliative oncology care RCTs to examine the impact of palliative care on physical and psychological quality of life and survival. Method: We considered 4 meta-analyses of palliative oncology care RCTs, which each used slightly different methodologies and analyses. Two of the meta-analyses included both outpatient and inpatient populations, whereas the remaining meta-analyses focused specifically on outpatient palliative oncology care. Results: All 4 meta-analyses reported a robust quality of life advantage for patients randomized to receive palliative care. Two meta-analyses identified a survival advantage, whereas the other 2 detected no survival differences. In 1 meta-analysis that examined high-quality RCTs of outpatient palliative oncology care, it was found that an increased survival probability for palliative care, compared with standard of care, was confined to 6- to 18-month follow-up. Conclusions: There is a growing evidence base for palliative oncology care, as highlighted by the 4 meta-analyses considered. Such care successfully improves both physical and psychological quality of life for patients with serious illnesses, especially cancer. Clinicians should educate patients and their caregivers about the findings of these meta-analyses. Finally, governmental policies should focus on increasing palliative care access.

scholarly journals The impact of physical activity for recovering cancer patients

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Martyn Queen ◽  
Diane Crone ◽  
Andrew Parker ◽  
Saul Bloxham
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Exercise Programme ◽  
Exercise Interventions ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
The Impact

Rationale: There is a growing body of evidence that supports the use of physical activity during and after cancer treatment, although activity levels for patients remain low. As more cancer patients are treated successfully and treatment costs continue to escalate, physical activity may be a promising adjunct to a person-centered healthcare approach to recovery.Aim: The aim was to further understand how physical activity may enhance the recovery process for a group of mixed-site cancer patients.Objectives: The research investigated longitudinal changes in physical activity and perceived quality of life between 2 and 6 month’s post-exercise interventions. It also investigated support systems that enabled patients to sustain these perceived changes.Method: The respondent cohort comprised 14 mixed-site cancer patients aged 43-70 (11 women, 3 men), who participated in a 2-phase physical activity intervention that took place at a university in the South West of England, UK. Phase 1 consisted of an 8 week structured physical activity programme; Phase 2 consisted of 4 months of non-supervised physical activity. Semi-structured interviews took place 3 times over 6 months with each participant. Grounded theory informed the data collection and analysis which, in turn, facilitated theoretical development.Findings: Our findings propose 3 theories on the impact of physical activity for recovering cancer patients: (1) Knowledge gained through a structured exercise programme can enable recovering cancer patients to independently sustain physical activity to 4 month follow-up. (2) Sustaining physical activity for 6 months promotes positive changes in the quality of life indicators of chronic fatigue, self-efficacy, ability to self-manage and energy levels & (3) Peer support from patients facilitates adherence to a structured exercise programme and support from a spouse or life partner facilitates independently sustained physical activity to 4 month follow-up.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that qualitative research can provide an evidence base that could be used to support future care plans for cancer patients. Our findings also demonstrate that a physical activity intervention can be effective at helping cancer patients recover from the side effects of their treatment and we recommend that physical activity should become an adjunct therapy alongside traditional cancer treatments.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of pharmacist comprehensive annual care plans on perceived quality of chronic illness care by patients in Alberta, Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 171516352110203
Author(s):  
Candace Necyk ◽  
Jeffrey A. Johnson ◽  
Ross T. Tsuyuki ◽  
Dean T. Eurich
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Chronic Illness Care ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Funding Program ◽  
The Impact

Background: In 2012, the Government of Alberta introduced a funding program to remunerate pharmacists to develop a comprehensive annual care plan (CACP) for patients with complex needs. The objective of this study is to explore patients’ perceptions of the care they received through the pharmacist CACP program in Alberta. Methods: We invited 3442 patients who received a pharmacist-billed CACP within the previous 3 months and 6888 matched controls across Alberta to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the short version Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC-11), with 3 additional pharmacy-specific assessment questions added. Additional questions related to health status and demographics were also included. Results: Overall, most patients indicated a low level of chronic illness care by pharmacists, with few differences noted between CACP patients and non-CACP controls. Of note, controls reported higher quality of care for 5 domains within the adapted PACIC-like tool compared with CACP patients ( p < 0.05 for all). Interestingly, only 79 (44%) of CACP patients reported that they had received a CACP, whereas only 192 (66%) of control patients reported that they did not receive a care plan. In a sensitivity analysis including only these respondents, individuals who received a CACP perceived a significantly higher quality of chronic illness care across all PACIC domains. Conclusion: Overall, chronic illness care incentivized by the pharmacist CACP program in Alberta is perceived to be moderate to low. When limited to respondents who explicitly recognized receiving the service or not, the perceptions of quality of care were more positive. This suggests that better implementation of CACP by pharmacists may be associated with improved quality of care and that some redesign is needed to engage patients more. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2021;154:xx-xx.

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