Search results for "Attitude to Death"

Integration of oncology and palliative care: a Lancet Oncology Commission.

2018

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Full integration of oncology and palliative care relies on the specific knowledge and skills of two modes of care: the tumour-directed approach, the main focus of which is on treating the disease; and the host-directed approach, which focuses on the patient with the disease. This Commission addresses how to combine these two paradigms to achieve the best outcome of patient care. Randomised clinical trials on integration of oncology and palliative care point to health gains: improved survival and symptom control, less anxiety and depression, reduced use of futile chemotherapy at the end of life, improved family satisfaction and quality of life, and improved use of health-…

Gulliver’s travels in the intensive care unit

2018

Factors influencing place of death in Germany.

2011

Abstract Context Knowledge about factors influencing the place of death may be very useful for the planning of public health strategies to improve the situation of terminally ill patients. Objectives The aim of our study was to determine where people died in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate in 2008. We further wanted to detect which factors had an influence on the place of death. Methods Our cross-sectional survey was based on a random sample of 5000 inhabitants of Rhineland-Palatinate who had died between May 25, 2008 and August 24, 2008. Relatives of these randomly drawn deceased persons were interviewed by means of a written survey. Results After removing duplicates, 4967…

Preference for place of death in Germany.

2011

Dying in the preferred place is considered a key requirement for a "good death." The aims of our study were to explore preferred places of death of deceased people and their bereaved relatives in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). We further wanted to assess the congruence between preferred and actual place of death.The cross-sectional study was based on a random sample of 5000 inhabitants of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) who died between May 25 and August 24, 2008. Relatives of these deceased persons were interviewed by a written survey.After removing duplicates, 4967 questionnaires were sent out, 3832 delivered, and 1378 completed, yielding a response rate of 36.0%. Regarding the deceased, …

Attitudes Among Patients With Advanced Cancer Toward Euthanasia and Living Wills

2015

Euthanasia has been invariably discussed throughout Europe. In some countries, euthanasia has been legalized under specific conditions that must be fulfilled. These include a properly reported request to be considered carefully, unbearable suffering, no other reasonable alternatives, and a consultation with an independent physician. A living will, also called an advance directive, is a written document that allows a patient to give explicit instructions about medical treatments to be administered when the patient is terminally ill and unable to communicate. In Italy, euthanasia remains illegal, and living wills are not used. These issues have been the subject of constant debate.2 Such discu…

Validation of the German Version of the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire for Health Professionals

2016

Purpose: To validate the Quality of Dying and Death (QoDD) instrument for health professionals (QoDD-D-MA) and to test its feasibility in 2 German palliative care units (PCUs). Methods: The QoDD was translated from English to German and then retranslated following European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) guidelines. Data were collected in 2 German PCUs to calculate aspects of validity and reliability. Results: Mean total score was 83.05 (range 49-100; N = 232). The QoDD-D-MA showed satisfactory psychometric properties, Cronbach α = .830; interrater reliability r = .245 ( P < .01). The QoDD-D-MA was independent of patients’ demographic and clinical aspects. Some …

Meaning in Life in Three Samples of Elderly Persons with High Cognitive Functioning

2001

The study examined the relationships between meaning in life and cognitive functioning in three elderly samples. The participants in Sample I were 78 persons aged 82–87, in Sample II 182 persons aged 83–92, and in Sample III 299 persons aged 65—69. The samples took part in interviews and cognitive tests in 1996–1997. Several interview questions together with the Sense of Coherence questionnaire were used to study the degree and content of meaning in life. Cognitive functioning was measured by Digit Span, Digit Symbol, and Word Fluency in Sample I and Mini-D in Samples II and III. Each sample was divided into the group of persons with high cognitive functioning (including those whose result…

Human relationships in patients’ end-of-life: a qualitative study in a hospice ward

2019

Living in a hospice department is an intense experience for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. End-of-life care aims to conduct vulnerable dying patients towards a painless and peaceful death. The importance of a strong staff-patient relationship and the perspective of pain and suffering from patients has already been studied. This study aimed to explore patients' inner needs living in hospice through a qualitative research approach. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in the hospice department at ARNAS Civico in Palermo, Italy. From a qualitative research point of view, a significant sample of ten dying patients was interviewed. Data were collected until saturati…

[Recommendations for end-of-life care in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

2009

Over the last 20 years, advances in the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have improved survival even among patients in the most advanced stages of the disease, such as those requiring domiciliary oxygen therapy.1,2 This improvement—in principle a positive development—has given rise to considerable clinical problems associated with the establishment of a therapeutic ceiling and the difficulty of determining prognosis in some of these patients. In this situation, the clinician should consider introducing palliative care, that is, care aimed at improving symptom control, communication, physical activity, and emotional support, in order to achieve the best…

A Brief Measure for the Assessment of Competence in Coping With Death: The Coping With Death Scale Short Version.

2019

Context. The coping with death competence is of great importance for palliative care professionals, who face daily exposure to death. It can keep them from suffering compassion fatigue and burnout, thus enhancing the quality of the care provided. Despite its relevance, there are only two measures of professionals’ ability to cope with death. Specifically, the Coping with Death Scale (CDS) has repeatedly shown psychometric problems with some of its items. Objective. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a short version of the CDS. Methods. Nine items from the original CDS were chosen for the short version. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Spanish (N ¼ 385) and Argent…