(Press-News.org) Death in hospital remains very common for cancer patients in developed countries. Although hospital surveys show that death was highly expected, patients dying in hospital have a high probability of unrelieved and poorly treated physical suffering, and emotional, spiritual and social distress. Quality improvement programmes in the United States and United Kingdom suggest that aspects of the 'excellent practice' of palliative care can be transferred to other settings. The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for the dying patient is one pathway that seeks to achieve this. It offers a structured programme aimed at providing improvements in the quality of care for all relevant dimensions at the end of life.
This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the LCP on the quality of end-of-life care provided to adult cancer patients during their last week of life in hospital. It implements an uncontrolled before–after intervention cluster trial performed within four hospital wards participating in the pilot. A total of 2 months after the patient's death, bereaved family members were interviewed. The results provide the first robust data collected from family members, in any reasonably sized sample, of a potential clinically significant improvement in some aspects of quality of care – in particular respect, kindness and dignity, family emotional support, self-efficacy of the family and coordination of care.
### END
The Liverpool Care Pathway -- improvement in quality of end-of-life care
2013-05-10
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Water on moon, Earth came from same primitive meteorites
2013-05-10
The water found on the moon, like that on Earth, came from small meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites in the first 100 million years or so after the solar system formed, researchers from Brown and Case Western Reserve universities and Carnegie Institution of Washington have found.
Evidence discovered within samples of moon dust returned by lunar crews of Apollo 15 and 17 dispels the theory that comets delivered the molecules.
The research is published online in Science Express today.
The discovery's telltale sign is found in the ratio of an isotopic form of hydrogen, ...
Dust in the clouds
2013-05-10
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- At any given time, cirrus clouds — the thin wisps of vapor that trail across the sky — cover nearly one-third of the globe. These clouds coalesce in the upper layers of the troposphere, often more than 10 miles above the Earth's surface.
Cirrus clouds influence global climate, cooling the planet by reflecting incoming solar radiation and warming it by trapping outgoing heat. Understanding the mechanisms by which these clouds form may help scientists better predict future climate patterns.
Now an interdisciplinary team from MIT, the National Oceanic ...
Using bacteria to stop malaria
2013-05-10
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Mosquitoes are deadly efficient disease transmitters. Research conducted at Michigan State University, however, demonstrates that they also can be equally adept in curing diseases such as malaria.
A study in the current issue of Science shows that the transmission of malaria via mosquitoes to humans can be interrupted by using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia in the insects. In a sense, Wolbachia would act as a vaccine of sorts for mosquitoes that would protect them from malaria parasites. Treating mosquitoes would prevent them from transmitting ...
Scientists define a new mechanism leading to tumor hypoxia
2013-05-10
An article published recently in Tumor Microenvironment and Therapy - an open access journal by Versita, defines a novel mechanism of tumor hypoxia induced by the longitudinal gradient of residual oxygen along tumor vessels as they transverse the tumor.
Growing evidence from experimental studies and clinical trials suggests a fundamental role of hypoxia in solid tumors. The mechanisms leading to hypoxia include the rapid rate of tumor growth, poor tumor perfusion or transiently disrupted tumor blood flow. Now, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, led by Professor ...
Women altering menstruation cycles in large numbers, UO study shows
2013-05-10
EUGENE, Ore. -- A surprisingly large number of women 18 or older choose to delay or skip monthly menstruation by deviating from the instructions of birth-control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, a team of University of Oregon researchers and others found in a study of female students at the university.
Most women who alter bleeding cycles do so for convenience rather than to avoid menstrual symptoms, and many learn about the option from nonmedical sources, according to research by the university's Department of Human Physiology, Portland-based Oregon Health and ...
Researchers discover dynamic behavior of progenitor cells in brain
2013-05-10
By monitoring the behavior of a class of cells in the brains of living mice, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins discovered that these cells remain highly dynamic in the adult brain, where they transform into cells that insulate nerve fibers and help form scars that aid in tissue repair.
Published online April 28 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, their work sheds light on how these multipurpose cells communicate with each other to maintain a highly regular, grid-like distribution throughout the brain and spinal cord. The disappearance of one of these so-called progenitor ...
How state and local governments can address the obesity epidemic
2013-05-10
With simple and innovative measures, public agencies at state and local levels can play a significant role in promoting healthier eating habits—steps that could make a difference in curbing the nation's obesity epidemic. One effective option, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is requiring restaurants to include calorie counts on menus, along with the physical activity equivalents required to burn off a meal. The researchers, who examined studies on calorie labeling and regulatory options available to local governments, offer ...
Nobody likes a 'fat-talker,' Notre Dame study shows
2013-05-10
Women who engage in "fat talk" — the self-disparaging remarks girls and women make in relation to eating, exercise or their bodies — are less liked by their peers, a new study from the University of Notre Dame finds.
Led by Alexandra Corning, research associate professor of psychology and director of Notre Dame's Body Image and Eating Disorder Lab, the study was presented recently at the Midwestern Psychological Association annual conference.
In the study, college-age women were presented with a series of photos of either noticeably thin or noticeably overweight women ...
After the breakup in a digital world: Purging Facebook of painful memories
2013-05-10
The era is long gone when a romantic breakup meant ripped-up photos and burned love letters. Today, digital photos and emails can be quickly deleted but the proliferation of social media has made forgetting a bigger chore.
What about the ubiquitous digital records of a once beloved that lurk on Facebook, tumblr, and flicker?
"People are keeping huge collections of digital possessions," says Steve Whittaker, a psychology professor at UC Santa Cruz who specializes in human-computer interaction. "There has been little exploration of the negative role of digital possessions ...
New technique to improve quality control of lithium-ion batteries
2013-05-10
Purdue has applied for a patent on the technique.
INFORMATION:
Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu
Sources: Douglas E. Adams, 765-449-4249, deadams@purdue.edu
James Caruthers, 756-494-6625, caruthers@purdue.edu
Related websites:
Douglas Adams: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME/People/ptProfile?id=12366
James Caruthers: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/People/ptProfile?id=24829
IMAGE CAPTION:
This thermal image was recorded using a new tool developed at Purdue that detects flaws in lithium-ion batteries as they are being manufactured, a ...