0000000000793910
AUTHOR
Michael I. Bennett
DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A CROSS-CULTURAL EORTC MEASURE OF SPIRITUAL WELLBEING (SWB) FOR PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Introduction Spiritual care and spiritual wellbeing (SWB) are central to palliative care, but no measures of SWB have yet been developed cross-culturally. Aim(s) and method(s) In 2002 the EORTC Quality of Life (QL) Group began international development of an SWB measure for palliative patients. Three domains of SWB were initially hypothesised, and items developed accordingly. Data for Phase IV field-testing and validation of the measure were collected from January 2012 to July 2013. Participants completed the 36-item provisional SWB measure and a structured debriefing interview. EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, socio-demographic and clinical data were also collected, and a sub-set of test-retest data. Th…
Use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of cancer pain: evidence-based recommendations from the EAPC
Here we provide the updated version of the guidelines of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) on the use of opioids for the treatment of cancer pain. The update was undertaken by the European Palliative Care Research Collaborative. Previous EAPC guidelines were reviewed and compared with other currently available guidelines, and consensus recommendations were created by formal international expert panel. The content of the guidelines was defined according to several topics, each of which was assigned to collaborators who developed systematic literature reviews with a common methodology. The recommendations were developed by a writing committee that combined the evidence deriv…
Neuropathic pain in cancer: systematic review, performance of screening tools and analysis of symptom profiles.
Background The objectives of this study were to evaluate the methodological quality of rigorous neuropathic pain assessment tools in applicable clinical studies, and determine the performance of screening tools for identifying neuropathic pain in patients with cancer. Methods Systematic literature search identified studies reporting use of Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS), Douleur Neuropathique en 4 (DN4) or painDETECT (PDQ) in cancer patients with a clinical diagnosis of neuropathic or not neuropathic pain. Individual patient data were requested to examine descriptor item profiles. Results Six studies recruited a total of 2301 cancer patients of which 1564 (68%) r…
Classification of neuropathic pain in cancer patients: A Delphi expert survey report and EAPC/IASP proposal of an algorithm for diagnostic criteria
Neuropathic pain (NP) in cancer patients lacks standards for diagnosis. This study is aimed at reaching consensus on the application of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) special interest group for neuropathic pain (NeuPSIG) criteria to the diagnosis of NP in cancer patients and on the relevance of patient-reported outcome (PRO) descriptors for the screening of NP in this population. An international group of 42 experts was invited to participate in a consensus process through a modified 2-round Internet-based Delphi survey. Relevant topics investigated were: peculiarities of NP in patients with cancer, IASP NeuPSIG diagnostic criteria adaptation and assessment, and …
Palliative Care Needs and Integration of Palliative Care Support in COPD
Background The provision of palliative care for severe COPD remains low, resulting in unmet needs in patients and carers. Research Questions What are the palliative care needs of patients living with severe COPD and their caregivers? What views of accessing and providing palliative care and factors influence these experiences. To what extent have palliative care and COPD services been integrated? Study Design and Methods A multicentre qualitative study was undertaken in COPD services and specialist palliative care in the United Kingdom involving patients with severe COPD, their carers, and health professionals. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and were analyzed using fram…