Gastro-Intestinal Symptoms in Palliative Care Patients.

This review of the palliation of various gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms encountered in cancer patients is by no means exhaustive. Frequent symptoms such as constipation, nausea and vomiting, bowel obstructions, ascites and bleeds will be discussed, focusing on their assessment and most importantly, how to control the associated symptoms. All of these symptoms and GI complications can significantly impact patients' quality of life (QOL) and should be treated as quickly and aggressively as possible.

Of dilemmas and tensions: a qualitative study of palliative care physicians' positions regarding voluntary active euthanasia in Quebec, Canada.

OBJECTIVES: In 2015, the Province of Quebec, Canada passed a law that allowed voluntary active euthanasia (VAE). Palliative care stakeholders in Canada have been largely opposed to euthanasia, yet there is little research about their views. The research question guiding this study was the following: How do palliative care physicians in Quebec position themselves regarding the practice of VAE in the context of the new provincial legislation? METHODS: We used interpretive description, an inductive methodology to answer research questions about clinical practice. A total of 18 palliative care physicians participated in semistructured interviews at two university-affiliated hospitals in Quebec. RESULTS: Participants positioned themselves in opposition to euthanasia. Their justifications were framed within their professional commitment to not hasten death, which sat in tension with the value of patients' autonomy to choose how to die. Participants described VAE as unacceptable if it impeded opportunities to evaluate and alleviate suffering. Further, they contested government rhetoric that positioned VAE as a way to improve end-of-life care. Participants felt that VAE would diminish the potential of palliative care to relieve suffering. Dilemmas were apparent in their narratives, about reconciling respect for patient autonomy with broader palliative care values, and the value of accompanying and not abandoning patients who make requests for VAE while being committed to neither prolonging nor hastening death. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into nuanced positions of experienced palliative care physicians in Quebec and confirms expected tensions between an important stakeholder and the practice of VAE as guided by the new legislation.

Accuracy and usefulness of the Palliative Prognostic Index in a community setting.

PURPOSE: In a community setting characterised by scarce inpatient palliative care resources, a precise prognosis could help determine which patients should be prioritised for end-of-life admission. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI) and to determine whether it is a helpful tool for nurses to administer as part of the admission protocol in the palliative care service of a community hospital. RESULTS: The PPI was a moderately accurate prognostic tool when assessing the frequency of 14-day overstay; 81% of patients died within 14 days of their expected prognosis. Based on sensitivity and specificity, the accuracy of the prognoses was acceptable for the 6-week prognosis group (80%), and poor for the 3-week prognostic group (53%). The tool was easy to administer by the admission nurse receiving referrals. CONCLUSION: A nurse-administered and minimally-invasive prognostic tool was helpful in this context.