Helen Yue-Lai Chan, Doris Yin-Ping Leung, Po-Tin Lam, Polly Po-Shan Ko, Raymond Wai-Man Lam, Kin-Shan Chan
{"title":"Effect of motivational interviewing to promote advance care planning among palliative care patients in ambulatory care setting: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Helen Yue-Lai Chan, Doris Yin-Ping Leung, Po-Tin Lam, Polly Po-Shan Ko, Raymond Wai-Man Lam, Kin-Shan Chan","doi":"10.1186/s12904-025-01667-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-025-01667-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Many patients have mixed feelings about end-of-life care, even when facing life-limiting conditions. Motivational interviewing might be useful for supporting patients in evoking reasons for advance care planning. This study aimed to examine the effects of an advance care planning program adopting motivational interviewing among palliative care patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted between January 2018 and December 2019 in the palliative care clinics of two hospitals. Adult patients who were newly referred to palliative care services, with a score of 60 or higher in the Palliative Performance Scale and mentally competent, were eligible for the study. While all participants received palliative care as usual care, those in the intervention group also received the advance care planning program through three home visits. The primary outcome was the readiness to discuss and document end-of-life care decisions, and the secondary outcomes included decisional conflict, perceived stress, and quality of life.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 204 participants (mean [SD] age, 74.9 [10.8]; 64.7% male; 80.4% cancer) were recruited. Generalized estimating equation analyses showed a significant improvement in readiness for advance care planning behaviors in the intervention group compared with the control group at 3 months post-allocation (group-by-time interaction, appointing proxy: β = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.25-1.35; p = .005; discussing with family: β = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.22-1.31; p = .006; discussing with medical doctors: β = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.30-1.42; p = .003; documenting: β = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.36-1.41; p < .001). The proportions of signing advance directives and placing a do-not-attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation order were significantly higher in the intervention group, with a relative risk of 3.43 (95% CI, 1.55-7.60) and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.04-1.28), respectively. The intervention group reported greater improvements in social support and value of life than the control group immediately after the intervention. Significant improvements in decisional conflicts and perceived stress were noted in both groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Motivational interviewing was effective in supporting patients to resolve ambivalence regarding end-of-life care, thereby increasing their readiness for discussing and documenting their care choices.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04162912 (Registered on 14/11//2019).</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11786551/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143076018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chloé Prod'homme, Côme Bommier, Laurène Fenwarth, Stephane Moreau, Alice Polomeni
{"title":"Cross-referencing French hematology teams' knowledge and perception of end-of-life situations: a national mixed-methods survey.","authors":"Chloé Prod'homme, Côme Bommier, Laurène Fenwarth, Stephane Moreau, Alice Polomeni","doi":"10.1186/s12904-025-01659-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-025-01659-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Haematology is a speciality frequently confronted with end-of-life situations, and teams will be concerned by the question of medical assistance in dying. The Ethics Commission of the French Society of Haematology has conducted a survey on the knowledge and perceptions of healthcare professionals regarding complex end-of-life situations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectionalonline survey of hematology professionals in France. The comprehensive online questionnaire addressed respondents' experience of complex end-of-life situations in hematology, based on 7 clinical vignettes. The survey contained 55 questions, 6 of which were open-ended. They were asked to give their opinion on whether it should be legalized. Justifications were then requested and analyzed by theme.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The survey was distributed to associations of hematology healthcare professionals (approximately 1,300 members). Overall, 182 healthcare professionals replied, including a third nurses and a third physicians. The average score for identifying complex situations was 7.1 out of 10 (IQR 5.7,8.6), with lesser knowledge of situations involving double effect, euthanasia and sedation for distress than of situations involving limiting or stopping treatment. Training in palliative care was the main driver of knowledge (p = 0.004), as well as being a physician (p < 0.001). We found that the opinions of healthcare professionals regarding the legalization of medical assistance in dying in France were diverse and well-founded.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Hematology healthcare professionals had lesser knowledge of situations involving double effect, euthanasia and sedation for distress. Knowledge of specific situations impacts professionals' opinion on legalization of medical assistance in dying.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"32"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11786354/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143076017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karen la Cour, Lisa Gregersen Oestergaard, Marc Sampedro Pilegaard
{"title":"Everyday activity strategies perceived by people with advanced cancer: a qualitative explorative study.","authors":"Karen la Cour, Lisa Gregersen Oestergaard, Marc Sampedro Pilegaard","doi":"10.1186/s12904-025-01660-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-025-01660-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite growing research on the daily life of people with advanced cancer, more specific knowledge is needed about the specific strategies these people use to manage everyday activities.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study explores how people with advanced cancer manage their everyday activities and describe their specific strategies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The qualitative study was designed with an explorative approach. Data from 28 people with advanced cancer was drawn from a trial including qualitative interviews to elicit participants' perceptions about managing their everyday activities. Interviews were conducted in participants' homes and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Within an overarching theme of keeping 'Daily life as usual', the findings unfold participants' specific strategies identified within two sub-themes ', Upholding routines' and 'Activity adaptations'. Upholding routines related to 1) Personal care and household and 2) Leisure-, social- and work-life. Activity adaptation about 1) Working with and around physical limitations; 2) Sharing, delegating, and letting go; and 3) Enlisting 'outside' support.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study specified participants' specific and distinct self-developed strategies within routines and activity adaptations. The strategies reflect participants' needs for maintaining functioning while relieving pain and mourning, which holds essential potential for informing person-centred intervention development integrating rehabilitation in palliative care.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11780809/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kara Whitlock, Zahra Premji, Ashley Mollison, Carolina Posada, Mauricio Arias-Rojas, Charlotte Futcher, Kelli I Stajduhar
{"title":"Work-related grief and bereavement experiences of social and community service workers working with people experiencing social disadvantage: a rapid scoping review.","authors":"Kara Whitlock, Zahra Premji, Ashley Mollison, Carolina Posada, Mauricio Arias-Rojas, Charlotte Futcher, Kelli I Stajduhar","doi":"10.1186/s12904-025-01668-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-025-01668-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While an extensive body of research in palliative care exists on the experiences of grief and bereavement among family caregivers, much of this research is based on normative assumptions of who family caregivers are - housed, financially stable, and with extended family and/or friends to draw on for support. Research shows that in contexts of social disadvantage(e.g., homelessness and poverty, mental health and substance use concerns, racism and discrimination), social and community workers can become 'defacto' family and provide caregiving support at the end of life. Yet, there is little known about the grief and bereavement experiences of this worker group.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study aimed to review the available literature on the experiences of grief and bereavement among workers working with people experiencing social disadvantage. A rapid scoping review was conducted following the JBI scoping review methodology. Six sources (Medline, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, Web of Science Core Collection, Sociological Abstracts, and Social Work Abstracts) were searched to identify relevant articles published until June 30th, 2023. From the systematic search and screening process, 9 studies met the eligibility criteria and were selected for the analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nine studies were included in this review that employed various qualitative approaches. Three main themes emerged from the narrative synthesis and thematic analysis: (1) Working in contexts of inequities, (2) Distress and its attributing factors, (3) Support needs and strategies.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Caring for socially disadvantaged individuals poses unique challenges, compounded by repeated loss, premature deaths, and societal stigma. Social and community service workers lack formal recognition for their pivotal palliative care role, necessitating organizational support, palliative education, and collective responses to address their unmet grief and bereavement needs. Further research is essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11776191/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bruno Fernando da Silva Reis, Gisele O'Dwyer, Valeria Teresa Saraiva Lino, Lívia Costa de Oliveira, Karla Santos da Costa Rosa, Simone Garruth Dos Santos Machado Sampaio
{"title":"Comparison of the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of cancer patients admitted to a tertiary palliative care unit before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Bruno Fernando da Silva Reis, Gisele O'Dwyer, Valeria Teresa Saraiva Lino, Lívia Costa de Oliveira, Karla Santos da Costa Rosa, Simone Garruth Dos Santos Machado Sampaio","doi":"10.1186/s12904-025-01663-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-025-01663-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of patients with advanced cancer admitted to a tertiary palliative care unit before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is an analysis of data from patients receiving care before (10/21/2019 to 03/16/2020) and during (09/23/2020 to 08/26/2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic and clinical data were evaluated. Logistic regression analyses were used, with the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) as measures of effect.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>673 patients were enrolled (204 in the pre-pandemic period and 469 in the pandemic period). The final logistic regression model demonstrated that patients admitted during the pandemic had a greater chance of having white skin (OR: 1.66 [95% CI: 1.15-2.39]), having a gastrointestinal tract cancer (OR: 2.95 [95% CI: 1.55-5.62]) and in skin, bones, and soft tissue (OR: 2.40 [95% CI: 1.13-5.08]), having received prior radiotherapy (OR: 1.83 [95% CI: 1.26-2.55]), and having a higher global PG-SGA SF score (OR: 1.06 [95% CI: 1.02-1.09]).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Ethnicity, nutritional risk, previous radiotherapy, and type of tumor were associated with advanced cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unclear what impacts the COVID-19 pandemic had on palliative care. This study presented findings based on one tertiary palliative care facility for patients with cancer. Give the limited literature on the subject, our comparative analysis of data serves as a starting point for a debate on this subject. More studies of a similar nature are needed to enable future comparisons and assist planning for other pandemics.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11776264/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fang Qian, Danyang Yao, Huanhuan Shi, Tao-Hsin Tung, Dongjun Bi
{"title":"Barriers to healthcare professionals screening, recognizing, and managing delirium in the adult patients receiving specialist palliative care: a mixed-methods systematic review.","authors":"Fang Qian, Danyang Yao, Huanhuan Shi, Tao-Hsin Tung, Dongjun Bi","doi":"10.1186/s12904-024-01634-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-024-01634-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Delirium frequently occurs in palliative care settings, yet its screening, identification, and management remain suboptimal in clinical practice. This review aims to elucidate the barriers preventing healthcare professionals from effectively screening, recognizing, and managing delirium in adult patients receiving specialist palliative care, with the goal of developing strategies to enhance clinical practice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted (PROSPERO: CRD42024563666). Literature was sourced from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, and Clinical Trials databases from their inception to November 16, 2024, without language restrictions. Studies that were primary quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, and reported the barriers to healthcare professionals' screening, recognition, and management of delirium in adult patients receiving specialist palliative care (including inpatient hospice/hospital care, consultation teams, and outpatient/community services) were included. Studies were excluded if they did not permit barrier factor extraction, had duplicate or incomplete data, or were case reports or conference abstracts. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. Data synthesis used the convergent-integrated JBI mixed-methods approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>21 articles that meet the selection criteria have been identified, with 11 quantitative, 8 qualitative and 2 mixed-methods, collectively involving 857 patients and 649 healthcare professionals. Four themes were identified from the includes studies: (1) Individual level: knowledge and understanding gaps among healthcare professionals; (2) Operational level: implementation challenges in clinical practice; (3) Organizational level: structural and resource deficiencies; (4) Contextual level: specific impacts of situational factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The systematic review uncovered a complex interplay of barriers spanning individual, operational, organizational, and contextual levels in palliative settings. To address these challenges, recommended strategies include developing targeted training programs, implementing standardized delirium assessment tools, improving guideline accessibility, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance delirium screening and management in palliative care.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11776129/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Identification of unmet information needs among families of critically ill patients and their association with post-intensive care syndrome-family: protocol for a single-center cross-sectional study.","authors":"Yoshiyasu Ito, Takuro Hamaguchi, Masatomo Suzuki, Yasushi Otaka, Mariko Asai, Yukihiro Sakaguchi, Yuki Shirai, Eisho Yoshikawa, Amane Tateno, Shoji Yokobori","doi":"10.1186/s12904-024-01599-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-024-01599-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Families of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) need a variety of information about the patient. Meeting these information needs improves the quality of communication between the family and ICU staff, as well as reduces the risk of post-intensive care syndrome-family (PICS-F). However, information needs continue to be unmet, and information regarding which specific information needs are met or unmet is insufficient. Additionally, the unmet needs that affect PICS-F are unknown. Therefore, this study aims to identify the unmet information needs of families of patients admitted to the ICU in terms of communication with ICU staff and determine their association with PICS-F.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study will be a single-center cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey. The participants will include family members of patients admitted to the emergency ICU of the Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Nippon Medical School Hospital in Japan. Eligibility for participation will be assessed from medical records, and family members of patients who meet the eligibility criteria will be identified and sent a questionnaire. PICS-F and unmet information needs will be assessed 1 to 12 months after patients leave the ICU. PICS-F assessment will include the evaluation of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and prolonged grief disorder. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses will be used to examine the association between PICS-F and unmet information needs.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study will fill a research gap in communication between ICU staff and families of ICU patients by examining the information that tends not to be provided or understood by families, thereby providing an understanding of the information that is likely to be an unmet information need. Additionally, this study can contribute to the development of future communication strategies by investigating which unmet information needs are associated with PICS-F risk, thus emphasizing the information needs that should be given priority when developing effective communication strategies.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>University Hospital Medical Information Network Center Clinical Trials Registry UMIN 000053813.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11776254/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decision-making regarding place of end-of-life care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions: a systematic integrative review.","authors":"Ashleen Crowe, Fiona Hurley, Gemma Kiernan, Helen Kerr, Yvonne Corcoran, Jayne Price, Joanne Reid, Eileen Courtney, Tracey McConnell, Patricia McNeilly, Veronica Lambert","doi":"10.1186/s12904-025-01661-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12904-025-01661-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Due to medical advancements the number of children living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions is rising, meaning more children and their families will require palliative and end-of-life care in the future. While 'home' is often the preferred place of end-of-life care, the evidence around best practice for decision-making about place of end-of-life care remains inadequate.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To synthesise evidence on the factors influencing decision-making regarding place of end-of-life care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A systematic integrative literature review. The review protocol was registered in Prospero: CRD42023406800.</p><p><strong>Data sources: </strong>CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Maternal and Infant Health were searched for studies published between 2013 and 2024. Any empirical, peer-reviewed journal articles published in English that included data pertaining to decision-making about place of end-of-life care for children (≤ 18 years) with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions were considered. Quality appraisal was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven eligible studies were included. Using an iterative process of constant data comparison, four themes were identified, highlighting that (i) consideration of the child, (ii) availability and suitability of end-of-life care services, (iii) parents' capacity and control in providing care, and (iv) family and sibling well-being were factors influencing decision-making about place of end-of-life care.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There are a complex range of factors surrounding decision-making regarding place of end-of-life care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. Studies focused primarily on parents' perspectives. Further research is needed to identify how to best support decisions about place of end-of-life care for families of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":48945,"journal":{"name":"BMC Palliative Care","volume":"24 1","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11773786/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143053998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}