Technology-enhanced palliative care for patients with cancer on phase 1 clinical trials.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. TPS12136-TPS12136
Author(s):  
Ishwaria Mohan Subbiah ◽  
Jaya Sheela Amaram-Davila ◽  
Angelique Wong ◽  
Kaoswi Karina Shih ◽  
Aimee Elizabeth Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Symptom Management ◽  
Phase I Trial ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Phase I Trials

TPS12136 Background: Patients w advanced cancer participating in Phase I trials carry a high symptom burden from cancer and prior therapies. Our prior work shows patients on phase I trials w multiple active symptoms impacting their immediate quality of life with implications on toxicities and clinical outcomes on subsequent therapy. To identify an effective scalable approach to comprehensive symptom management for patients w adv cancer on phase I trials, we leveraged the increased technology use to design a technology-enhanced symptom management and palliative care intervention (TEC). Methods: Patients w adv cancer seen in the phase I clinic will be given the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), a validated patient-reported outcomes (PRO) tool of common cancer symptoms to identify those with a high symptom burden defined as ≥4 out of 10 on >1 ESAS symptom and a Global Distress Score (GDS) of ≥20. The GDS, a validated score of overall symptom intensity derived from the ESAS, is comprised of 6 physical (pain, fatigue, nausea, drowsiness, appetite, shortness of breath) & 2 psychosocial symptoms (depression, anxiety), and overall wellbeing. TEC is an innovative patient-centered care program of strategic vigorous symptom management where standard-of-care clinic visits are complemented by proactive symptom monitoring between clinic visits remotely and through provider-initiated calls. In this pilot randomized study, we will determine the effect sizes of High-Intensity TEC (HI-TEC; q3day remote PRO assessments w preset provider-initiated call bw visits), Low-Intensity TEC (LO-TEC; q5day remote PRO assessments w preset provider-initiated call bw visits), and Standard Palliative Care (no preset provider contact bw visits). Our guiding hypothesis is that a comprehensive, proactive, technology-enhanced symptom management program led by a Palliative Care team can mitigate the high symptom burden of patients with advanced cancers enrolling in phase I trials. The primary objective assesses the effect size of each TEC intervention on the GDS measure of symptom burden prior to C1D1 on phase I trial. Our working hypothesis is that HI-TEC and LO-TEC will be associated with a lower overall symptom burden signifying symptom optimization prior to starting on a phase I trial. Secondary objectives aim to estimate the effect size of TEC on the following: Symptom burden over 12 weeks on a phase I trial using ESAS, quality of life using FACIT-Sp, PRO-CTCAE and patient satisfaction using FAMCARE-P13. clinical outcomes at 6 months including OS, treatment outcomes (interruptions, dose reductions, discontinuation, time on trial) and quality metrics for end-of-life (EOL) (chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life, ICU admit in last 30 days of life, death without hospice or < 3d of hospice). Qualitatively assessment of patients’ + caregivers’ perceptions of receiving TEC-based cancer care. Clinical trial information: NCI-2020-07465.

scholarly journals Improving the quality of life of people with advanced respiratory disease and severe breathlessness

Breathe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 198-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Booth ◽  
Miriam J. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Respiratory Disease ◽  
Symptom Management ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
List Type ◽  
The Impact

Advanced respiratory disease imposes a greater symptom burden than many cancers but not does have comparable recognition of the need for supportive and palliative care or the infrastructure for its systematic delivery. Consequently, many people with advanced respiratory disease (and those closest to them) have a poor quality of life, disabled by chronic breathlessness, fatigue and other symptoms. They are socially isolated by the consequences of long-term illness and are often financially impoverished. The past decade has seen an increasing realisation that care for this group must improve and that symptom management must be prioritised. Clinical guidelines recommend person-centred care, including access to supportive and palliative care as needed, as part of standard medical practice. Advanced lung disease clinics and specialist breathlessness services (pioneered within palliative care) are developing within respiratory medicine services but are provided inconsistently.This review covers the comprehensive assessment of the patient with advanced respiratory disease, the importance of supporting carers and the current best practice in the management of breathlessness, fatigue and cough. It also suggests ways to incorporate person-centred care into the general respiratory clinic, assisted by better liaison with specialist palliative and primary care. Emerging evidence shows that excellent symptom management leads to better clinical outcomes and reduces inappropriate use of emergency medical services.Key pointsPeople living with advanced respiratory disease and severe chronic breathlessness (and those closest to them) have a poor quality of life.Chronic breathlessness is a disabling symptom, and acute-on-chronic/episodic breathlessness is frightening to experience and observe.Chronic breathlessness imposes profound physical limitations and psychosocial burdens on those suffering from it or living with someone experiencing it.Fatigue and cough are two other cardinal symptoms of advanced respiratory disease, with very detrimental effects on quality of life.The impact of all these symptoms can be alleviated to a variable extent by a predominantly non-drug complex intervention.Many of the interventions are delivered primarily by allied health or nursing professionals.Doctors, nurses and other health professionals also need to play an active part in promoting quality of life as part of excellent medical care.A person-centred, psychologically informed approach is needed by all clinicians treating patients with advanced respiratory disease.Educational aimsTo give specialist respiratory clinicians practical clinical tools to help improve the quality of life of their patients with advanced respiratory disease and chronic breathlessness.To outline the evidence base for these interventions with reference to definitive sources.To highlight the importance of person-centred care in people with respiratory disease at all stages of illness.

The effectiveness of hope-fostering interventions in palliative care: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632199472
Author(s):  
Natalia Salamanca-Balen ◽  
Thomas V Merluzzi ◽  
Man Chen
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Background: The concept of hope is an important theme in chronic illness and palliative care and has been associated with increased psycho-spiritual well-being and quality of life. Psycho-spiritual interventions have been described in this population, but no systematic review of hope-enhancing interventions or hopelessness-reducing interventions has been conducted for persons with palliative care diseases. Aim: To describe and assess the effectiveness of interventions in palliative care that measure hope and/or hopelessness as an outcome. Design: This systematic review and meta-analysis was pre-registered (Prospero ID: CRD42019119956). Data sources: Electronic databases, journals, and references were searched. We used the Cochrane criteria to assess the risk of bias within studies. Results: Thirty-five studies (24 randomized controlled trials, 5 quasi-experimental, 6 pre-post studies) involving a total of 3296 palliative care patients were included. Compared with usual/standard cancer care alone, interventions significantly increased hope levels at a medium effect size ( g = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.28–0.93) but did not significantly reduce hopelessness ( g = −0.08, 95% CI = −0.18 to 0.02). It was found that interventions significantly increase spirituality ( g = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.02–1.37) and decrease depression ( g = −0.29, 95% CI = −0.51 to −0.07), but had no significant effect over anxiety, quality of life, and symptom burden. Overall, quality of evidence across the included studies was rated as low. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that interventions can be effective in increasing hope in palliative care patients.

Telemedically Augmented Palliative Care

2014 ◽  
pp. 185-201
Author(s):  
Romina Nemecek ◽  
Patrick Huber ◽  
Sophie Schur ◽  
Eva Masel ◽  
Stefanie Porkert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
User Friendly

Patients with advanced cancer have a substantial symptom burden, which deteriorates their quality of life. Palliative care improves well-being of patients and their family caregivers. Within the scope of a controlled pilot study, a user-friendly telepresence system is developed, which enables patients and family caregivers to send a direct request to a palliative care team. Additionally, a specially tailored database is developed, which contains up to date patient information. Twenty patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer are consecutively assigned in a control and an intervention group. The intervention group receives the telemedically augmented care, whereas the control group receives standard care. The primary goal of this chapter is to determine the usability and feasibility; the secondary goal is the assessment of the intervention's impact on quality of life and the number of unscheduled hospital admissions. To sum up, telemedically supported ambulatory palliative care may synergistically help to improve safety and quality of life.

scholarly journals P1062EXPANDED DIALYSIS (HDX): IS THERE AN IMPACT ON PATIENT REPORTED SYMPTOM?

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrin Penny ◽  
Fabio R Salerno ◽  
Lisa Hur ◽  
Christopher McIntyre
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
High Flux ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Dialysis Membranes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background and Aims High flux dialysis membranes sufficiently remove smaller sized uremic toxins however, the accumulation and retention of larger middle molecular weight toxins, which are associated with chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease and suboptimal outcomes are poorly cleared. The recent advent of medium-cut-off dialysis membranes, labelled “expanded dialysis” (HDx) are permeable to molecules of larger size responsible for poor clinical outcomes. However, it remains unclear if HDx can directly impact the symptoms associated with hemodialysis (HD). Symptom burden plays a significant role in quality of life (QOL) and mortality rates in the HD population. The London Evaluation of Illness (LEVIL), an application-based platform has been developed to measure patient reported outcomes (PROM). In comparison to cross-sectional PROM’s, LEVIL more accurately represents the fluctuations in daily symptoms and the impact of intervention. LEVIL evaluates general well-being, energy, sleep, appetite, pain and breathing, all of which are outcomes of interest on symptom burden in chronic kidney disease. Our aim was to determine if HDx therapy had any effect on symtoms/QOL domains using LEVIL. Method 28 patients from two dialysis centers in London Ontario were consented to participate. Patients were required to be over 18 years of age and on conventional thrice weekly maintenance HD for at least three months. 23 participants completed study and analyzed (five lost for various reasons). Baseline (BL) symptom characteristics were obtained while using high flux membrane for two weeks. Symptoms continued to be measured throughout the 12 weeks of HDx therapy two-three times weekly using LEVIL. Laboratory biomarkers including beta-2 microglobulin and free-light chains were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks of HDx therapy. Results Patients were stratified into tertiles (high/middle/low) using mean values of BL symptoms scores in each domain (wellbeing, energy, sleep, appetite, pain, breathing). Those in the high BL group were labeled as “control”. Low and middle BL measures were further stratified into responders vs. non-responders (responders were considered to have a 50% increase in any symptom domain by ≥50%). Of those domains which responded to HDx, 76% also had low BL scores with 27% having middle BL scores. General wellbeing, energy and sleep were domains with the greatest response reaching statistical significance after eight weeks of therapy. HDx had limited effect on appetite, pain and breathing. Although stratification was per domain, overall, 74% of the population studied did respond in at least one domain, with some responding in as many as five. Conclusion HDx using Theranova (Baxter) shows the most benefit in domains with low BL measures. Additionally, not everyone who had low BL scores responded after 12 weeks of therapy, leaving us to question whether HDx may have a latent effect in some individuals/populations. Those who had no response to therapy in certain domains also had greater baseline quality of life respectively. This information may assist in decision making/rationale for the utilization and implementation of such therapy. Although more work is required to further stratify symptoms in relation to demographic/biochemical finding and clinical outcomes. It is evident that HDx improves patient reported symptoms and QOL.

scholarly journals Health-related quality of life as an endpoint in oncology phase I trials: a systematic review

BMC Cancer ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Fiteni ◽  
Isabelle Le Ray ◽  
Ahmad Ousmen ◽  
Nicolas Isambert ◽  
Amélie Anota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Phase I Trials ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

scholarly journals Hope and Persuasion by Physicians During Informed Consent

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (29) ◽  
pp. 3229-3235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Miller ◽  
Melissa Cousino ◽  
Angela C. Leek ◽  
Eric D. Kodish
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Phase I Trial ◽  
Physician Communication ◽  
Phase I Trials ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Parent Ratings ◽  
Persuasive Messages ◽  
Perceived Pressure

Purpose To describe hopeful and persuasive messages communicated by physicians during informed consent for phase I trials and examine whether such communication is associated with physician and parent ratings of the likelihood of benefit, physician and parent ratings of the strength of the physician's recommendation to enroll, parent ratings of control, and parent ratings of perceived pressure. Patients and Methods Participants were children with cancer (n = 85) who were offered a phase I trial along with their parents and physicians. Informed consent conferences (ICCs) were audiotaped and coded for physician communication of hope and persuasion. Parents completed an interview (n = 60), and physicians completed a case-specific questionnaire. Results The most frequent hopeful statements related to expectations of positive outcomes and provision of options. Physicians failed to mention no treatment and/or palliative care as options in 68% of ICCs and that the disease was incurable in 85% of ICCs. When physicians mentioned no treatment and/or palliative care as options, both physicians and parents rated the physician's strength of recommendation to enroll in the trial lower. Conclusion Hopes and goals other than cure or longer life were infrequently mentioned, and a minority of physicians communicated that the disease was incurable and that no treatment and/or palliative care were options. These findings are of concern, given the low likelihood of medical benefit from phase I trials. Physicians have an important role to play in helping families develop alternative goals when no curative options remain.

scholarly journals Randomized controlled trial of a home-based palliative approach for people with severe multiple sclerosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 663-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Solari ◽  
Andrea Giordano ◽  
Francesco Patti ◽  
Maria Grazia Grasso ◽  
Paolo Confalonieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Palliative Approach ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Palliative Care Outcome Scale

Background: Evidence on the efficacy of palliative care in persons with severe multiple sclerosis (MS) is scarce. Objective: To assess the efficacy of a home-based palliative approach (HPA) for adults with severe MS and their carers. Methods: Adults with severe MS-carer dyads were assigned (2:1 ratio) to either HPA or usual care (UC). At each center, a multi-professional team delivered the 6-month intervention. A blind examiner assessed dyads at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Primary outcome measures were Palliative care Outcome Scale-Symptoms-MS (POS-S-MS) and Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW, not assessed in severely cognitively compromised patients). Results: Of 78 dyads randomized, 76 (50 HPA, 26 UC) were analyzed. Symptom burden (POS-S-MS) significantly reduced in HPA group compared to UC ( p = 0.047). Effect size was 0.20 at 3 months and 0.32 at 6 months, and statistical significance was borderline in per-protocol analysis ( p = 0.062). Changes in SEIQoL-DW index did not differ in the two groups, as changes in secondary patient and carer outcomes. Conclusion: HPA slightly reduced symptoms burden. We found no evidence of HPA efficacy on patient quality of life and on secondary outcomes.

Improving quality of life

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Bush ◽  
Eduardo Bruera
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Cancer Control ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Palliative Intent ◽  
Life Threatening Illness ◽  
Detection And Diagnosis ◽  
Improvement In Survival

Chapter 12 discusses oncological treatments that may be administered with either a curative or palliative intent. If cancer in a patient cannot be cured, then the focus of treatment changes to achieving an improvement in survival time, reducing symptom burden, optimizing performance, and hence improving quality of life (QOL). Palliative care is the last of the four components of a cancer control programme, after prevention, early detection, and diagnosis and treatment. Patients with advanced cancer may experience physical, psychosocial, and spiritual difficulties throughout their illness which impact on their overall QOL. The main objective of palliative care is to improve the QOL for both patients with life-threatening illness and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to assess QOL to ascertain if this goal is being met.

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