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Ullrich A, Goldbach S, Hollburg W, Wagener B, Rommel A, Müller M, Kirsch D, Kopplin-Foertsch K, Schulz H, Bokemeyer C, Oechsle K. Specialist palliative care until the very end of life - reports of family caregivers and the multiprofessional team. BMC Palliat Care 2023; 22:153. [PMID: 37814271 PMCID: PMC10563273 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-023-01266-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Specialist palliative care (SPC) includes care for incurably ill patients and their family caregivers at home or on a palliative care ward until the very end of life. However, in the last days of life, patients can rarely express their needs and little is known about SPC outcomes as reported by multiprofessional SPC teams and family caregivers. METHODS Using the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS; Score 0-40), proxy assessments of SPC outcomes in the patient's last 3 days of life were performed by SPC teams and primary family caregivers of three home care and three inpatient services. Additional questions were asked about problems solved 'particularly well' or 'inadequately' (last 7 days), which were content analyzed and quantified. RESULTS Proxy assessments by SPC teams were available in 142 patients (of whom 51% had died at home). Family caregiver assessments exist for a subgroup of 60 of these patients. SPC teams (POS total score: mean 13.8, SD 6.3) reported SPC outcomes slightly better than family caregivers (mean 16.7, SD 6.8). The POS items consistently rated as least affected (= 0) by both, SPC teams and family caregivers, were 'not wasted time' (team 99%/family caregivers 87%), 'information' (84%/47%) and 'support' (53%/31%). Items rated as most affected (= 4) were 'patient anxiety' (31%/51%), 'life not worthwhile' (26%/35%) and 'no self-worth' (19%/30%). Both groups indicated more problems solved 'particularly well' than 'inadequately'; the latter concerned mainly clinically well-known challenges during end-of-life care and family caregiver care. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the range and type of symptoms and other concerns reported in the patient's last days. Starting points for further improvements in family caregiver care and psychosocial and spiritual issues were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneke Ullrich
- Palliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Sven Goldbach
- Specialist outpatient palliative care team 'PalliativPartner Hamburg GbR', Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wiebke Hollburg
- Specialist outpatient palliative care team 'PalliativPartner Hamburg GbR', Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Wagener
- Specialist outpatient palliative care team 'PalliativPartner Hamburg GbR', Hamburg, Germany
| | - Annette Rommel
- Specialist outpatient palliative care team 'Das Palliativteam', Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marten Müller
- Palliative care ward, Asklepios Hospital Rissen, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Denise Kirsch
- Specialist outpatient palliative care team 'PCT Hamburg-West', Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Holger Schulz
- Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carsten Bokemeyer
- Palliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karin Oechsle
- Palliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Ramsenthaler C, Gao W, Siegert RJ, Edmonds PM, Schey SA, Higginson IJ. Symptoms and anxiety predict declining health-related quality of life in multiple myeloma: A prospective, multi-centre longitudinal study. Palliat Med 2019; 33:541-551. [PMID: 31060467 DOI: 10.1177/0269216319833588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with multiple myeloma, an incurable haematological cancer, often receive palliative care only late in their trajectory. Criteria for early referral are lacking. AIM To identify which patients might benefit from early integration, by identifying trajectories of health-related quality of life and the determinants for declining or poor Health related quality of life . DESIGN Prospective, longitudinal cohort study. PARTICIPANTS Multiple myeloma patients at all stages (newly diagnosed, first-line or second-line treatment, early or later treatment-free interval, refractory disease) from in- and outpatient units at 14 hospitals in England were recruited. In addition to clinical information and standardised Health related quality of life and psychological aspects, the Myeloma Patient Outcome Scale (MyPOS) measured palliative care concerns. RESULTS A total of 238 patients were recruited, on average 3.5 years ( SD: 3.4) post-diagnosis. Latent mixture growth models identified four Health related quality of life trajectories. Classes 3 and 4 represent trajectories of stable poor Health related quality of life or declining Health related quality of life over an 8-month period. The strongest predictors of poor outcome at the end of follow-up were general symptom level (odds ratio (OR): 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0-1.6, p = 0.028), presence of clinically relevant anxiety (OR: 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-1.4, p = 0.019), and presence of pain (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.0-1.1, p = 0.018), all being more predictive than demographic or clinical characteristics. CONCLUSION General symptom level, pain and presence of anxiety predict declining Health related quality of life in multiple myeloma. Identification of patients with palliative care needs should focus on assessing patient-reported symptoms and psychosocial well-being for identifying those at risk of deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Ramsenthaler
- 1 Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London, London, UK.,2 Department of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Wei Gao
- 1 Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Richard J Siegert
- 1 Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London, London, UK.,3 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Polly M Edmonds
- 4 Department of Palliative Care, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Stephen A Schey
- 5 Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Irene J Higginson
- 1 Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London, London, UK
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Palat G, Stenlander C, Jacob J, Sinha S, Rapelli V, Wiebe T, Brun E, Segerlantz M. Specialized Palliative Care and the Quality of Life for Hospitalized Cancer Patients at a Low-Resource Hospital in India. Indian J Palliat Care 2018; 24:289-299. [PMID: 30111942 PMCID: PMC6069622 DOI: 10.4103/ijpc.ijpc_95_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM This study aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance of 3-4, in contact with or without contact, with a specialized palliative care unit (PCU) at a low-resource governmental cancer hospital, as well as studying the impact of this contact on the QoL in their caregivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hospitalized patients with an ECOG performance of 3 or 4 and their primary caregiver were asked to participate in this observational study. Patients in contact with the specialized PCU and their closest caregivers formed Group A, while patients and families without this contact formed Group B. Contact was mainly one consultation. The patients were asked to complete the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS), and the caregivers were asked to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the distress thermometer (DT). RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference between the median POS values of the patient groups, neither regarding the total sum nor per any item. There were also no statistically significant differences between the median HADS values and median DT values when comparing the caregivers to Group A and B. CONCLUSION Consultation with a specialized PCU at this tertiary referral center did not alter the QoL of patients with an ECOG performance of 3-4 nor did it affect the psychological well-being of their caregivers. We argue that monitoring prescribed treatment and follow-up is a necessary component of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayatri Palat
- Palliative Access (PAX) Program, MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telungana, India
- Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration-INCTR, Canada
- Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telungana, India
| | | | - Jean Jacob
- Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration-INCTR, Canada
- Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telungana, India
| | - Sudha Sinha
- Medical Oncology, MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telungana, India
| | - Vineela Rapelli
- Palliative Care Program, MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telungana, India
| | - Thomas Wiebe
- Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences and Paediatrics, Lund, Sweden
| | - Eva Brun
- Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences and Oncology, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mikael Segerlantz
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute for Palliative Care, Lund, Sweden
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Koh KC, Gupta ED, Poovaneswaran S, Then SL, Teo MJJ, Gan TY, Thing JHY. Concordance in the Assessment of Effectiveness of Palliative Care between Patients and Palliative Care Nurses in Malaysia: A Study with the Palliative Care Outcome Scale. Indian J Palliat Care 2017; 23:46-52. [PMID: 28216862 PMCID: PMC5294437 DOI: 10.4103/0973-1075.197961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Context: The Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS) is an easy-to-use assessment tool to evaluate the effectiveness of palliative care. There is no published literature on the use of POS as an assessment tool in Malaysia. Aim: To define the concordance in the assessment of quality of life between patients with advanced cancers and their palliative care nurses using a Malay version of the POS. Settings and Design: This study was conducted in the palliative care unit of the Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban, Malaysia, from February 2014 to June 2014. Subjects and Methods: We adapted and validated the English version of the 3-day recall POS into Malay and used it to define the concordance in the assessment of quality of life between patients and palliative care nurses. Forty patients with advanced stage cancers and forty palliative care nurses completed the Malay POS questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: The kappa statistical test was used to assess the agreement between patients and their palliative care nurses. Results: Slight to fair concordance was found in all items, except for one item (family anxiety) where there was no agreement. Conclusions: The Malay version of the POS was well accepted and reliable as an assessment tool for evaluation of the effectiveness of palliative care in Malaysia. Slight to fair concordance was shown between the patients and their palliative care nurses, suggesting the needs for more training of the nurses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwee Choy Koh
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Esha Das Gupta
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Sangeetha Poovaneswaran
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Siaw Ling Then
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Michelle Jia Jui Teo
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Teik Yiap Gan
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Joanne Hwei Yean Thing
- Department of Medicine, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
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Ramsenthaler C, Osborne TR, Gao W, Siegert RJ, Edmonds PM, Schey SA, Higginson IJ. The impact of disease-related symptoms and palliative care concerns on health-related quality of life in multiple myeloma: a multi-centre study. BMC Cancer 2016; 16:427. [PMID: 27387201 PMCID: PMC4937527 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-016-2410-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple myeloma, the second most common haematological cancer, remains incurable. Its incidence is rising due to population ageing. Despite the impact of the disease and its treatment, not much is known on who is most in need of supportive and palliative care. This study aimed to (a) assess symptom severity, palliative care concerns and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with multiple myeloma, and (b) to determine which factors are associated with a lower quality of life. We further wanted to know (c) whether general symptom level has a stronger influence on HRQOL than disease characteristics. METHODS This multi-centre cross-sectional study sampled two cohorts of patients with multiple myeloma from 18 haematological cancer centres in the UK. The Myeloma Patient Outcome Scale (MyPOS) was used to measure symptoms and concerns. Measures of quality of life included the EORTC QLQ-C30, its myeloma module and the EuroQoL EQ-5D. Data were collected on socio-demographic, disease and treatment characteristics and phase of illness. Point prevalence of symptoms and concerns was determined. Multiple regression models quantified relationships between independent factors and the MyPOS, EORTC global quality of life item and EQ5D Index. RESULTS Five-hundred-fifty-seven patients, on average 3.5 years (SD: 3.4) post-diagnosis, were recruited. 18.2 % had newly diagnosed disease, 47.9 % were in a treatment-free interval and 32.7 % had relapsed/progressive disease phase. Patients reported a mean of 7.2 symptoms (SD: 3.3) out of 15 potential symptoms. The most common symptoms were pain (72 %), fatigue (88 %) and breathlessness (61 %). Those with relapsed/progressive disease reported the highest mean number of symptoms and the highest overall palliative care concerns (F = 9.56, p < 0.001). Factors associated with high palliative care concerns were a general high symptom level, presence of pain, anxiety, low physical function, younger age, and being in the advanced stages of disease. CONCLUSION Patients with multiple myeloma have a high symptom burden and low HRQOL, in the advanced and the earlier stages of disease. Identification of patients in need of supportive care should focus on assessing patient-reported outcomes such as symptoms and functioning regularly in clinical practice, complementary to traditional biomedical markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Ramsenthaler
- />Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, School of Medicine, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ UK
| | - Thomas R. Osborne
- />Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, School of Medicine, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ UK
| | - Wei Gao
- />Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, School of Medicine, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ UK
| | - Richard J. Siegert
- />Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, School of Medicine, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ UK
- />Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Polly M. Edmonds
- />Department of Palliative Care, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Stephen A. Schey
- />Department of Haematological Medicine, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Irene J. Higginson
- />Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, School of Medicine, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ UK
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Saleem TZ, Higginson IJ, Chaudhuri KR, Martin A, Burman R, Leigh PN. Symptom prevalence, severity and palliative care needs assessment using the Palliative Outcome Scale: a cross-sectional study of patients with Parkinson's disease and related neurological conditions. Palliat Med 2013. [PMID: 23208011 DOI: 10.1177/0269216312465783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Palliative care is rarely being offered to patients with Parkinson's disease. AIM To assess symptom prevalence, severity and palliative care needs in advanced stages of Parkinsonism. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey using a palliative care assessment tool, the Palliative Outcome Scale was administered to patients. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Eight-two patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, multiple systems atrophy or progressive supranuclear palsy were included in the study. RESULTS Their mean age and disease stages 3-5 Hoehn and Yahr were 67 years and 4.1, respectively. Patients reported a mean of 10.7 (standard deviation = 3.9) physical symptoms. Over 80% had pain, fatigue, day time somnolence and problems with mobility. Other symptoms in 50%-80% included constipation, loss of bladder control, swallowing difficulties, drooling, breathlessness and sleep problems. Symptoms rated as causing severe problems were pain, fatigue, constipation and drooling. Assessment of mood revealed 70% of the patients felt anxiety and 60% had felt depressed. Eight-five per cent felt their families were anxious or worried about them. Thirty-eight per cent would have liked more information and 42% had practical problems that still needed to be addressed. There was a positive correlation between number of symptoms and disease severity (r = 0.39, p = 0.01). The total mean Palliative Outcome Scale score was 13.6 (standard deviation = 6.1), suggesting moderate palliative care needs. CONCLUSION This is the first study to describe the care needs of people with Parkinson's disease using the Palliative Outcome Scale tool. The burden of symptoms and concerns was high in advanced stages of disease. It might be appropriate that people severely affected by these conditions should be considered for referral to specialist palliative care services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariq Z Saleem
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
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