Gabapentin for Pain in Pediatric Palliative Care.

OBJECTIVE: Gabapentin is commonly used to treat pain in children receiving pediatric palliative care. This study describes the real-world use of gabapentin and the associated benefits and adverse effects/events (AEs). METHODS: A prospective, multicenter cohort of standardized data collection after a clinical decision was made to use gabapentin for managing neuropathic or nociplastic pain in children attended on by a pediatric palliative care service. It was conducted across 11 sites in seven countries including hospital, inpatient, and outpatient services. Clinical outcomes were graded using pain scales validated for age and cognitive ability and the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCICTCAE) at baseline, 14 days, 28 days, six weeks and 12 weeks after initiation of gabapentin. Ad-hoc safety reporting continued throughout the study. RESULTS: Data were collected from 127 children with a median age of 4.7 years (IQR 0.1-17.9); 61% had a neurological disorder, 21% advanced cancer and the cohort had a high level of disability (Lansky/Karnofsky performance score 37.1). Gabapentin was prescribed at standard pediatric doses. On average, 76% of children had a reduction in pain and 42% experienced a potential AE. The mean pain score decreased from 6.0 (SD 2.6) at baseline to 3.3 (SD 2.4) at 14 days and 1.8 (SD 1.8) after 12-weeks of gabapentin therapy. Ten percent had increased pain at each time point. AEs did not increase when individual changes over time were accounted for except for somnolence (7%). Serious AEs attributable to gabapentin were possible or probable in 3% of children. CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin prescribed at standard doses for advanced cancer and severe neurological injury in children under a pediatric palliative care service was associated with generally improved pain intensity at previously described levels of adverse effects.

A Systematic Review of Measures of Breakthrough Pain and Their Psychometric Properties.

CONTEXT: Breakthrough pain (BTP) is common in cancer and other conditions yet there is a lack of validated BTP measurement tools. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify all tools assessing or characterising BTP in patients of any age with any condition, and to critically appraise their psychometric properties. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, PROSPERO, Embase, CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Evidence Search and OpenGrey were searched to identify all available tools used to assess BTP. A second search identified studies that had evaluated psychometric properties of tools identified in Search 1. Databases were searched from inception to November 2020. Studies were assessed using COSMIN criteria and GRADE guidelines. RESULTS: Search 1 found 51 tools used to assess BTP. Search 2 found six tools that had a development study and/or a study evaluating a tool psychometric property. No tool had more than one study evaluating psychometric properties so a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Studies were of inadequate to very good quality. Only the Breakthrough Pain Assessment Tool (BAT) had sufficient content validity and at least low-quality evidence for sufficient internal consistency. CONCLUSION: The BAT is recommended to characterise BTP in adults with cancer; its applicability to other conditions is unknown. The remaining tools need further evaluation. Only the Breakthrough Pain Questionnaire for Children was designed for children with cancer, but no psychometric properties were evaluated. There is a need for a tool to assess and characterise BTP in children with non-cancer diagnoses and those who cannot self-report.

Healthcare professionals' views of the use of oral morphine and transmucosal diamorphine in the management of paediatric breakthrough pain and the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial: A focus group study (DIPPER).

BACKGROUND: Oral morphine is frequently used for breakthrough pain but the oral route is not always available and absorption is slow. Transmucosal diamorphine is administered by buccal, sublingual or intranasal routes, and rapidly absorbed. AIM: To explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals in the UK caring for children with life-limiting conditions concerning the assessment and management of breakthrough pain; prescribing and administration of transmucosal diamorphine compared with oral morphine; and the feasibility of a comparative clinical trial. DESIGN/ PARTICIPANTS: Three focus groups, analysed using a Framework approach. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists (n = 28), caring for children with life-limiting illnesses receiving palliative care, participated. RESULTS: Oral morphine is frequently used for breakthrough pain across all settings; with transmucosal diamorphine largely limited to use in hospices or given by community nurses, predominantly buccally. Perceived advantages of oral morphine included confidence in its use with no requirement for specific training; disadvantages included tolerability issues, slow onset, unpredictable response and unsuitability for patients with gastrointestinal failure. Perceived advantages of transmucosal diamorphine were quick onset and easy administration; barriers included lack of licensed preparations and prescribing guidance with fears over accountability of prescribers, and potential issues with availability, preparation and palatability. Factors potentially affecting recruitment to a trial were patient suitability and onerousness for families, trial design and logistics, staff time and clinician engagement. CONCLUSIONS: There were perceived advantages to transmucosal diamorphine, but there is a need for access to a safe preparation. A clinical trial would be feasible provided barriers were overcome.

A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify measures of breakthrough pain and evaluate their psychometric properties.

INTRODUCTION: Breakthrough pain is common in children and adults with cancer and other conditions, including those approaching end-of-life, although it is often poorly managed, possibly partly due to a lack of validated assessment tools. This review aims to (1) identify all available instruments measuring breakthrough pain in infants, children, adolescents or adults and (2) critically appraise, compare and summarise the quality of the psychometric properties of the identified instruments using COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) criteria. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Two searches will be carried out between October 2019 and January 2020, one for each aim of the review. The Cochrane Library, International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database, Evidence Search and OpenGrey databases will be searched from database inception until the date the search is conducted. Reference lists of eligible articles will be screened and authors in the field contacted. For search 1, articles will be screened by two reviewers by abstract, and full-text where necessary, to identify if a breakthrough pain assessment was used. Search 2 will then be conducted to identify studies evaluating measurement properties of these assessments. Two reviewers will screen articles from search 2 by title and abstract. All potentially relevant studies will be screened by full text by both reviewers. For search 2, data will be extracted in parallel with the quality assessment process, as recommended by COSMIN. Two reviewers will assess methodological quality using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist and the COSMIN updated criteria for good measurement properties. Findings will be summarised and, if possible, data will be pooled using meta-analysis. The quality of the evidence will be graded and summarised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) guidelines. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Results of this review will be submitted for publication in a peer review journal and presented at conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019155583.

Emergencies in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Survey of Ambulance Officers to Understand the Interface between Families and Ambulance Services.

Background: Pediatric palliative care occurs across contexts through the child's illness trajectory, including within the child or young person's community. Interactions with the ambulance service may occur with a child's deterioration, crisis, or when needing transfer, but there is little research on this interaction. Aim: To explore the experiences and attitudes of ambulance officers in managing pediatric patients with palliative care needs. Design: A targeted e-mail survey was sent exploring perceptions of the involvement with these patients including exposure, comfort, resuscitation topics, and supports available. Setting/Participants: Participants were Queensland ambulance officers known to have had an interaction with one of the last 50 pediatric palliative care referrals across Queensland. Results: Twenty-two survey responses were received. Most of the palliative group accessed ambulances for the 13-month study period. Most ambulance officers did not easily identify patients as receiving palliative care. Many participants felt these cases were challenging, confidence levels varied, and staff counselling services were felt to be relevant. Ambulance officers were most likely to use correspondence provided by the family from their usual team as a guide for emergency management. Half of the participants felt patients receiving pediatric palliative care should have a "not for resuscitation" order. Respondents suggested officer support could be improved through increased patient documentation and promotion of existing officer supports. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate challenges experienced by ambulance officers and suggest practical ways in which pediatric palliative care services can better support emergency services.

Methadone for Analgesia in Children with Life-Limiting Illness: Experience from a Tertiary Children's Health Service.

Methadone has the potential to assist in the management of pain in children with life-limiting illness, but its use is limited by its complex pharmacokinetic profile and limited research on its use in children. This is a retrospective review of the use of methadone as an analgesic in 16 children with life-limiting illness. Efficacy, dosing and side effect profile were analysed. Fifteen (94%) patients had improvements in their analgesia with minimal observed adverse effects. Patients were either rapidly converted from a prior opioid in one change or received methadone as an adjunct medication. Conversions were calculated using ratios frequently in the range of 10:1 to 20:1 from the oral morphine equivalent total daily dose (MEDD). Adjunct initial dosing was a low dose trial, often beginning with 1 mg at night. Only two patients required a dose adjustment due to side effects attributed to methadone. This was despite the cohort having significant underlying illnesses, extensive concurrent medications, and high methadone dosing where needed. Analysis of dosing and ratios indicates that an individualised approach is required. Based on this and on the infrequency of methadone use in this population, specialist assistance with dosing is recommended. Further research, including prospective and pharmacokinetic studies, is recommended.

Using a Nurse-Led Telehealth Intervention to Improve Fasting Glucose Levels in Patients With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Undergoing a Surgical Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled diabetes during the perioperative period can result in a variety of adverse postoperative outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate a nurse-led telehealth preoperative intervention to improve glycemic control. METHODS: Provide telehealth diabetes education prior to surgery and evaluate time spent and pre-/post-glucose levels. Between-group differences were used to assess glycemic control. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in scores for those who received the telephone intervention (M = 167.71, SD = 59.9) and those who did not receive the intervention (M = 171.44, SD = 54.9; t (44) = 0.220, p = .82, two-tailed). The magnitude of the differences in the means was very small (Cohen's d = 0.03). There was a reduction in pre- and post-glucose levels for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although the findings were not statistically significant, there may be some clinical significance. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The clinical significance has implications for nursing due to participants choosing to delay surgery and potentially preventing adverse outcomes.

Principles of a paediatric palliative care consultation can be achieved with home telemedicine.

We compared the records of paediatric palliative consultations undertaken face-to-face, with telemedicine consultations undertaken in patients' homes. A convenience sample of consecutive paediatric palliative care patients was identified from the hospital's palliative care database. A total of 100 consultations was reviewed (50 telemedicine consultations during home visits and 50 face-to-face consultations) according to 14 established principles and components of a paediatric palliative care consultation. In the telemedicine group there was a higher proportion of patients in a stable condition (58% vs 7%), and a lower proportion of patients in terminal phase (2% vs 17%). Discussion about pain and anorexia were significantly more common in the telemedicine group. Discussion about follow up was significantly more common in the telemedicine group (86% vs 56%), whilst resuscitation planning was more common in deteriorating patients receiving inpatient care. All other components and principles of a palliative care consultation were documented equally regardless of method of consultation. The findings confirm that palliative consultations via telemedicine are just as effective as face-to-face consultations in terms of the documented components of the consultation.

Components and principles of a pediatric palliative care consultation: results of a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric palliative care is a distinct specialty that requires input from pediatric and palliative medicine specialists to provide comprehensive high-quality care. Consultations undertaken early in a child's illness trajectory, when end-of-life care is not anticipated to be required, enables relationships to be established and may enhance the quality of care provided. OBJECTIVE: To define optimal components of an early pediatric palliative care consultation. DESIGN: Consensus of an expert group was sought in a five-round Delphi study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Based on the literature and existing standards for specialist palliative care, components of an early pediatric palliative care consultation were derived. In rounds 2 and 3, experts from around Australia participated in online surveys to review and prioritize the components and principles. Consensus of survey items was determined by defined criteria. A flowchart was developed in the fourth round and the final round involved review and refinement of the flowchart by the expert group. RESULTS: Nineteen experts participated and prioritized 34 components and principles in the first survey round, and 36 statements in the second survey round. There was consensus from all participants that the first priority of a consultation was to establish rapport with the family, and examples of how to achieve this were defined. Other components of a consultation included: establishing the family's understanding of palliative care; symptom management; an emergency plan; discussion of choices for location of care, and a management plan. Components considered suitable to defer to later consultations, or appropriate to address if initiated by family members, included: spiritual or religious issues; discussion around resuscitation and life-sustaining therapies; end-of-life care; and the dying process. CONCLUSION: We have provided the first published framework from expert consensus that defines the components and principles of an early pediatric palliative care consultation. This framework will provide guidance for clinical practice as well as being useful for education and research in this area.

Insulin Modifies Honeybee Worker Behavior.

The insulin signaling pathway has been hypothesized to play a key role in regulation of worker social insect behavior. We tested whether insulin treatment has direct effects on worker honeybee behavior in two contexts, sucrose response thresholds in winter bees and the progression to foraging by summer nurse bees. Treatment of winter worker bees with bovine insulin, used as a proxy for honeybee insulin, increased the bees' sucrose response threshold. Treatment of summer nurse bees with bovine insulin significantly decreased the age at which foraging was initiated. This work provides further insight into the role of endocrine controls in behavior of in honeybees and insects in general.

Influence of stress resiliency on RN job satisfaction and intent to stay.

Registered nurse (RN) job satisfaction is a major predictor of intent to stay and job turnover, serious concerns to health care leaders. Predictors of job satisfaction include autonomy, control over daily practice, nurse-physician collaboration, transformational leadership, group cohesion, job stress, structural empowerment, and psychological empowerment. In the model of psychological empowerment, stress resiliency is the product of persons' interpretive styles and influences psychological empowerment. This study has evaluated the influence of stress resiliency on job stress, psychological empowerment, job satisfaction, and intent to stay using causal modeling. Participants are 464 RNs employed in five acute care hospitals in West Virginia. The final model has provided a very good fit to the data. Stress resiliency is a predictor of psychological empowerment, situational stress, and job satisfaction. This study provides the first evidence of the influence of stress resiliency on job stress, psychological empowerment, job satisfaction, and intent to stay in a sample of RNs.

Influence of interpretive styles of stress resiliency on registered nurse empowerment.

The purpose of this predictive, nonexperimental study was to describe the influence of 3 interpretive styles of stress resiliency on phychological empowerment; psychological empowerment has been identified as a primary predictor of RN job satisfaction. Subjects were 142 nurses, randomly selected from 4 unit in 2 hospitals in a mid-Atlantic state. Measures used were Spreitzer's questionnaire for psychological empowerment (Chronbach alpha for this study = .89) and Thomas and Tymon's Stress Resiliency Profile for interpretive styles (Chronbach alpha for this study = .87, .74, and .85, for deficiency focusing, necessitating, and skill recognition, respectively). Regression analysis identified a model predictive of psychological empowerment in which 24% of the variance was explained by skill recognition and deficiency focusing components of interpretive styles, suggesting that nurses who believe they are effective and who do not imagine their own failure add to their own empowerment.