Supportive, palliative, and end-of-life care for patients with cancer in Asia: resource-stratified guidelines from the Asian Oncology Summit 2012.

The burden of cancer in Asia is high; 6·1 million new cases were diagnosed in the continent in 2008, which accounted for 48% of new cases worldwide. Deaths from cancer are expected to continue to rise because of ageing populations and modifiable risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, diet, and obesity. Most patients who are diagnosed with cancer in Asia have advanced disease that is not amenable to curative treatment, which means that they are likely to have pain and other symptoms and psychosocial concerns. These burdens vary with the economic and political situation of the different countries and are affected by such factors as an absence of screening programmes, insufficient cancer diagnostic and treatment services (especially in sparsely populated and rural areas), legal restrictions on access to drugs to relieve pain, and a medical culture in which quality-of-life considerations are undervalued in relation to imperatives to treat. These issues could be ameliorated by increased investment in cancer screening, removal of restrictions on prescription of opioids, and improvements in medical education to increase recognition of treatment futility. Supportive, palliative, and end-of-life care offer the potential to enhance quality of life, improve pain control, and reduce suffering for patients with cancer and their families, and to give patients a dignified death. All patients should have access to such care-in resource-rich regions these services should be integrated into oncology services, whereas in resource-poor regions they should be the main focus of treatment. The form of care should depend on the economic circumstances within and across countries, and recommendations are made across four resource classifications (basic to maximal) to take account of the diversity of settings in Asia.

Community-based end-of-life care in Singapore and nursing care implications for older adults in the post-COVID-19 world.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To render holistic overview on community-based end-of-life care in the context of Singapore, with analysis of nursing care implications for older adults requiring end-of-life care services. RECENT FINDINGS: Healthcare professionals caring for older adults with life-limiting conditions had to play an active role in the constantly evolving healthcare landscape during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Usual meetings and community-based end-of-life care interventions were converted to online mode, utilizing digital technology. In order to provide value-based and culturally relevant care, further studies are warranted to evaluate healthcare professionals, patients and family caregivers' preferences whilst utilizing digital technology. As a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to minimize infection transmissions, animal-assisted volunteering activities were conducted virtually. Regular healthcare professionals' engagement in wellness interventions is necessary to boost morale and prevent potential psychological distress. SUMMARY: To strengthen the delivery of end-of-life community care services, the following recommendations are proposed: active youth engagement via inter-collaborations and connectedness of community organizations; improving support for vulnerable older adults in need of end-of-life care services; and enhancing healthcare professionals well-being through the implementation of timely support interventions.

Exploring Differential Perceptions and Barriers to Advance Care Planning in Dementia among Asian Patient-Caregiver Dyads-A Mixed-Methods Study.

A parallel mixed-methods study on 20 patient-caregiver dyads in an Asian population was conducted to explore the differential perceptions and barriers to ACP in dementia. We recruited English-speaking patients with mild dementia and their caregivers. A trained ACP facilitator conducted ACP counseling. Patient-caregiver dyads completed pre-post surveys and participated in post-counseling qualitative interviews. We used mixed-methods analysis to corroborate the quantitative and qualitative data. Differential perceptions of ACP were reported among dyads, with caregivers less inclined for further ACP discussions. Post-ACP counseling, caregivers were significantly more likely to acknowledge barriers to ACP discussions than patients (57.9% versus 10.5%, p = 0.005). Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four themes around barriers to ACP: patient-related factors (transference of decision making, poor cognition and lack of understanding, and dis-inclination to plan for the future), caregiver-related factors (perceived negative impact on the patient, caregiver discomfort, and confidence in congruent decision making), socio-cultural factors (taboos, superstitions, and religious beliefs), and the inappropriate timing of discussions. In a collectivist Asian culture, socio-cultural factors pose important barriers, and a family-centric approach to initiation of ACP may be the first step towards engagement in the ACP process. For ACP in dementia to be effective for patients and caregivers, these discussions should be culturally tailored and address patient, caregiver, socio-cultural, and timing barriers.

Electronic display board in operating theatres for easy patient identification.

Objective To correct patient identification for surgery nd reduce risk of wrong site surgery. Surgical care is high risk and complex and errors are associated with huge negative implications. The need to identify patients correctly before surgeries is important to reduce risk of wrong-site surgeries. Operating theatres (OT) are a highly stressful work environment where time and resources are precious and errors are more likely to occur. Having a clear display of the two patients' identifiers improves ease and safety during time out and noting critical results in the OT. Methodology Deming's Plan-Do-Study-act cycle where the work group meet regularly to review results of various strategies put up and implement further changes. Results Both the surgeons and nurses found it safer to have patients' two identifiers and nature of operation on display while noting critical results and confirming patients' details during time out.

What is the meaning of palliative care in the Asia-Pacific region?

This paper describes the preliminary work required to understand cultural differences in palliative care in the United Kingdom and three countries in the Asia-Pacific region, in preparation for a cross-country study. The study is intended to address cultural understandings of palliative care, the role of the family in end of life care, what constitutes good care and the ethical issues in each country. Suggestions are then made to shape the scope of the study and to be considered as outcomes to improve care of the dying in these countries. It is anticipated that the method used to achieve consensus on cross-country palliative care issues will be both qualitative and quantitative. Identifying key priorities in the delivery and quality measures of palliative care will involve participants in focus groups, a Delphi survey and in the development of clinical indicators towards creating standards of palliative care common to the Asian Pacific region.