Journal of Palliative Care Briefings [Новость добавлена - 11.03.2009]

MARCH 11, 2009 Home palliative care enhances veterans' medication compliance North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System's Advanced Illness Palliative Care telehealth case management program has improved patients' adherence with medication regimens and saved the health system money. Employing telehealth technology, an advanced practice nurse monitors patients' conditions daily. Participating veterans answer questions on a text-messaging device, reporting weight, blood sugar or other pertinent findings. The nurse electronically reports changes to the patient's provider, who may make adjustments to the patient's plan of treatment. Patients also answer questions about their emotional and spiritual health, and the nurse refers problems in those domains to a chaplain. The nurse also checks on the caregivers and need for respite care. During a two-year pilot study, 98% of participants reported they took their medications as ordered and 92% said they felt more connected with their providers and family. Overall health care expenditures decreased 68%. http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=1850

Trigeminal neuralgia guidelines available The American Academy of Neurology and the European Federation of Neurological Societies have issued evidence-based guidelines related to the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. The guidelines recommend controlling pain with carbamazepine. Oxcarbazepine should be considered, and baclofen, lamotrigine, and pimozide may be considered. However, topical ophthalmic anesthesia should not be used. If the pain is refractory to medical therapy, physicians may consider early surgical intervention and percutaneous procedures on the Gasserian ganglion. Gamma knife and microvascular decompression are also options. http://www.guidelines.gov/summary/summary.aspx...

PEPFAR supports palliative care services The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief embraces a broad view of palliative care for HIV-positive adults and children. The program, launched by President Bush, supports antiretroviral treatment and other clinical interventions, such as provision of clean drinking water; mental health counseling and family support; spiritual care; social care, including legal services and links to food support or income-generating programs; and preventive care services to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to other people. Family-centered services begin at diagnosis and extend until the end of life. They include management of symptoms to minimize suffering and are provided with respect for patient autonomy and choice. Through September 30, 2008, more than 10.1 people worldwide, including 4 million orphans and vulnerable children have received care through the program. The program is active in Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Rwanda. http://www.pepfar.gov/press/84749.htm

Nominate a nurse as a distinguished researcher The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association is accepting applications for its Distinguished Researcher Award through June 1, 2009. The award recognizes nurses who have consistently and positively influenced end-of-life nursing, mentored other nurses or nursing students pursuing research, worked in clinical practice or education, and presented their research findings at conferences and in journals. The recipient receives a $500 cash award. Applicants must submit a written summary of their contribution to hospice and palliative care research, a curriculum vitae, three letters of support, and documentation of their research cited by other authors. The association's research committee will review the nominations and select a winner. http://www.hpna.org/DisplayPage.aspx?...

Flower "ministry" serving hospice patients What began as a way to share flowers from one person's garden has evolved into Perenity, a Birmingham, Ala.-based flower ministry, providing floral arrangements to hospice patients, giving them an opportunity to rejoice and renew. Volunteers dismantle donated arrangements from weddings, proms, corporate functions, funerals and other events and transform them into bouquets for the hospice patients. The volunteers deliver the flowers to patients' homes, nearly 100 weekly. Patients continue receiving the weekly arrangements until they die. Perenity founder Jennifer Slaughter also delivers trees at Christmas time. http://perenity.com/mission.html

Clinical trial will investigate family-focused grief therapy A multisite clinical trial involving Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, The Visiting Nursing Service of New York, Beth Israel Hospice Service and Calvary Hospital in New York will investigate how well family therapy works when the intervention is provided as a family member undergoes treatment for a serious illness, and whether additional sessions after the death benefits the family. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive standard palliative care, or to receive six or 10 family-focused group grief therapy sessions. At least two members of every family must be willing to take part at the time of recruitment to the study. Participants must have satisfactory cognitive function to provide informed consent and participate in the family therapy session. However, if the ill individual becomes too frail to take part, the family can continue to participate. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00580515

Free patient safety tools for physicians The Health Research and Educational Trust, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the Medical Group Management Association have developed a series of free Web-based modules, called Pathways for Patient SafetyTM, designed to increase physicians' and their practice leaders' knowledge and implementation of best safety practices in regard to working as a team with other care providers, assessing current practices and creating medication safety, such as starting or augmenting a medical reconciliation process. The modules can be used together or separately. Content includes tools, templates, and additional resources. The three organizations also offer a free self-assessment tool to help physicians evaluate their practice processes to improve patient safety. It covers 79 areas related to medication, patient handoffs and transitions, culture, and other topics. http://www.pathwaysforpatientsafety.org

Undergraduate childhood bereavement program developed Great Britain's St. Christopher's Hospice and Help the Hospices have developed a university-validated program in childhood bereavement. The diploma/certificate course, linking theory to practice, is offered part time and taught at weekend sessions at St. Christopher's and Friday courses at Help the Hospices. Topics include child development and loss through the life cycle, the death of a child, traumatic death, assessment issues, and group and telephone interventions. The program will help participants assess the need for such services, set up programs, establish standards for service delivery, learn how to work with volunteers, and coordinate with other service providers. http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/page.cfm/link=951/GoSection=7

Providers in California must talk about hospice A new California law requires health-care providers diagnosing a patient with a terminal illness or making a prognosis of the person living less than one year to provide the patient, requesting such information, with counseling about end-of-life care options. The provider is also obligated to refer or transfer a patient if the physician or other provider does not wish to comply with the patient's choice of care. The Terminal Patients' Right to Know End-of-Life Options Act protects a patient's right to information about hospice care, advance directives and the ability to refuse or withdraw life-sustaining treatment, or to accept such care while receiving palliative care. The law outlines the acceptance of voluntary stopping of eating and drinking and the use of palliative sedation. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/...

Acupuncture can help children with chronic pain The Pain Management Clinic at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, in collaboration with Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, also in Los Angeles, has created a pediatric acupuncture program to help children manage chronic pain. Jeffrey I. Gold, Ph.D., director of the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic at Childrens, indicates traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture have few deleterious side effects, acupuncture can harmonize with Western medicine, and Chinese techniques can promote preventive care and symptom management. The clinic offers acupuncture treatments one day per week, and hopes to increase the frequency in the future. The two entities also plan to develop joint research projects. http://www.childrenshospitalla.org/site/apps/...

People on the Move Dr. Susan Stone has accepted a position at Cedars Sinai's palliative care service in Los Angeles, CA. She has also been selected for and begun the California Healthcare Foundation's leadership program...Brickson Diamond has been appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees for The National Hospice Foundation...Matthew Smith, RN, BSN, has been named Executive Director of In-House Hospice, Southfield, OH...Christina Ullrich, MD, MPH, of Children's Hospital Boston and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston has earned the AAHPM Award for Young Investigators in the Junior Faculty category and the AAHPM Paper Award this year...Sandy Chen-Stokes, RN, MSN, Executive Director, Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care (CACCC), has been selected by the American Cancer Society for a 2009 Lane Adams Quality of Life Award, a national multidisciplinary award for excellence in caring...Stephen Towns, certified in hospice and palliative care administration, recently joined Haven Hospice as administrator at the new DeLand office serving Volusia and Flagler counties in Florida...Dr. David Lambert has been appointed as a Pediatric Palliative Care Consultant at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada...Cynthia Goh, MD, is the Head of the Department of Palliative Medicine, National Cancer Centre, Singapore...Please send your People on the Move news to: Briefings@liebertpub.com

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