Jeff Myers

Intraspinal techniques for pain management in cancer patients: a systematic review

PurposeThis systematic review outlines current evidence regarding the effectiveness of intraspinal techniques for cancer pain and addresses practical implementation issues.MethodsA search of electronic databases identified systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of intraspinal techniques in the setting of cancer pain. An environmental scan was completed via the internet to identify practice guidelines and resource documents addressing organizational and implementation issues in the delivery of intraspinal analgesia. Elements reviewed included patient selection, contraindications, monitoring, aftercare, follow-up, hospital discharge equipment, health personnel, patient education, and safety.Main resultsThree systematic reviews, three consensus conferences, and 12 RCTs met the inclusion criteria for evidence of effectiveness. No single systematic review or consensus conference included all relevant RCTs or specifically addressed the use of intraspinal techniques for cancer pain. Six RCTs compared intraspinal techniques alone or combined with other interventions alone or in combination, four compared different intraspinal medications, and two compared different intraspinal techniques. In general, the evidence supported the use of intraspinal techniques for cancer pain management. The two main indications consistently identified were intractable pain not controlled by other conventional medical routes and/or side effects from conventional pain management strategies preventing dose escalation. Reports indicate intraspinal analgesia is equally or more effective than conventional medical management and often associated with fewer side effects. Thirteen resource documents addressed issues surrounding the delivery of intraspinal analgesia and program implementation.ConclusionsIntraspinal techniques monitored by an interprofessional health care team should be included as part of a comprehensive cancer pain management program.

Malignant Bowel Obstruction: Natural History of a Heterogeneous Patient Population Followed Prospectively Over Two Years

CONTEXT The management of malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is often challenging and frequently involves multiple treatment modalities, including chemotherapy, surgery, stenting, and symptomatic medical management. OBJECTIVES To describe the natural history of patients diagnosed with MBO who were admitted to a tertiary level hospital and followed by a multidisciplinary team that included medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and palliative care specialists. METHODS Thirty-five patients admitted under medical or surgical oncology with a diagnosis of MBO were followed over a two-year period or until the time of death. Primary malignancies included colon, rectum, pancreas, biliary, breast, bladder, carcinoid, renal cell, gastric, lung, and melanoma. Clinical outcomes of interest included survival, percentage of patients receiving surgery and/or chemotherapy, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), insertion of venting gastrostomy tube, disposition, and rates of readmission to hospital. RESULTS Median survival was 80 days and three patients were alive at the time of study closure. At our center, 34% of patients underwent surgical intervention, 37% received at least one dose of post-MBO chemotherapy, and 43% received TPN. There was a cohort of patients (17%) who were alive at one year. CONCLUSION Interventions such as chemotherapy and TPN may be appropriate in a carefully selected subgroup of patients. A collaborative approach is required for the optimal clinical management and palliation of MBO.

Factors Affecting Family Satisfaction with Inpatient End-of-Life Care

Background Little data exists addressing satisfaction with end-of-life care among hospitalized patients, as they and their family members are systematically excluded from routine satisfaction surveys. It is imperative that we closely examine patient and institution factors associated with quality end-of-life care and determine high-priority target areas for quality improvement. Methods Between September 1, 2010 and January 1, 2012 the Canadian Health care Evaluation Project (CANHELP) Bereavement Questionnaire was mailed to the next-of-kin of recently deceased inpatients to seek factors associated with satisfaction with end-of-life care. The primary outcome was the global rating of satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included rates of actual versus preferred location of death, associations between demographic factors and global satisfaction, and identification of targets for quality improvement. Results Response rate was 33% among 275 valid addresses. Overall, 67.4% of respondents were very or completely satisfied with the overall quality of care their relative received. However, 71.4% of respondents who thought their relative did not die in their preferred location favoured an out-of-hospital location of death. A common location of death was the intensive care unit (45.7%); however, this was not the preferred location of death for 47.6% of such patients. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis showed respondents who believed their relative died in their preferred location were 1.7 times more likely to be satisfied with the end-of-life care that was provided (p = 0.001). Items identified as high-priority targets for improvement included: relationships with, and characteristics of health care professionals; illness management; communication; and end-of-life decision-making. Interpretation Nearly three-quarters of recently deceased inpatients would have preferred an out-of-hospital death. Intensive care units were a common, but not preferred, location of in-hospital deaths. Family satisfaction with end-of-life care was strongly associated with their relative dying in their preferred location. Improved communication regarding end-of-life care preferences should be a high-priority quality improvement target.

An Innovative Self-Care Module for Palliative Care Medical Learners

Palliative care is a uniquely demanding field in that clinicians routinely address the complex needs of patients living with incurable illness. Due to their relative inexperience, medical learners completing a palliative care educational experience are particularly vulnerable to the stresses that are often encountered. To address this educational need, a structured Self-Care Module was developed for medical learners rotating through a palliative care clinical rotation. Components of this module include completion of a process recording exercise, a structured reflection, and participation in a facilitated group discussion. An examination of the acceptability, utility, and operational feasibility of the module demonstrated that 86% (n=35) of learners found the module helpful in reflecting on their clinical encounters, 86% (n=35) gained an appreciation for the importance of self-reflection and self-awareness as a component of self-care and 97% (n=35) gained a greater appreciation for sharing clinical experiences with other learners. This novel Self-Care Module was found to be a well accepted, useful, and operationally feasible educational experience for postgraduate and undergraduate learners completing a palliative care educational experience.

Improving the quality of end-of-life discussions.

Purpose of reviewThis article provides an update on the recent research and evidence regarding quality in end-of-life (EOL) discussions with a focus on the care of a person with cancer. Recent findingsClinicians have the challenging task of customizing the information exchange that occurs during an EOL discussion. Patients identify important stipulations that accompany a desire for frank EOL discussions. These include timing of the discussion, ensuring evaluation of readiness to engage in the EOL discussion, and being invited to participate. The timing of an EOL discussion is likely to be more important than the setting in which an EOL discussion occurs. Less than 1 month prior to a persons death is likely to be an inadequate amount of time to allow a patient to consider and reflect on his or her EOL preferences. Among those admitted to the hospital, delay in the timing of EOL discussions carries the risk of losing decision-making capacity. SummaryThere is greater use of quality metrics as patient outcomes among studies examining EOL discussions. System-wide approaches to improving EOL discussions should include standardized documentation templates that are widely accessible in electronic medical records.

Personalizing prognosis in a patient with serious illness

Addressing prognosis for a patient with a serious or progressive, life-limiting illness presents a unique challenge. What a person understands about his or her illness and what he or she expects to occur substantially affects both the decisions made regarding care and the overall outcomes.[1][1]

A qualitative analysis of the elements used by palliative care clinicians when formulating a survival estimate

Objective For patients with advanced and/or incurable disease, clinicians are often called upon to formulate and communicate an estimate of likely survival duration. The objective of this study was to gain a deeper appreciation of this process by identifying and exploring the specific elements that may inform and/or impact a clinicians estimate of survival (CES). Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted among a group of palliative care clinicians in the setting of a tertiary academic health sciences centre. Qualitative data were subsequently analysed using a grounded theory approach. Results Five major themes were identified as being central to the process of CES formulation: use of objective patient-specific elements, strength of the patient-clinician relationship, purpose and context of an individual CES, perceived role of hope and the overall likelihood of CES inaccuracy. Conclusions For any given patient, several elements have the potential to inform and/or impact the process of CES formulation. Study participants were aware of objective clinical factors known to correlate with actual survival duration and likely integrate this information when formulating a CES. Formulation occurs within a larger context comprised of a number of elements that may influence individual estimates. These elements exist against a background of awareness of the overall likelihood of CES inaccuracy. Clinicians are encouraged to develop a personalised and standardised approach to CES formulation whereby an awareness of the menu of potentially impacting elements is consciously integrated into an individual process.

An interdisciplinary and collaborative initiative in palliative care research.

The scale and complexity of palliative care increasingly demands that researchers move beyond their own discipline and explore interdisciplinary collaboration. At a Palliative Care Research Retreat held in January 2006 at the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, researchers from multiple care settings with the center and from other Toronto hospitals came together with the vision of becoming Canadian leaders in palliative care research. As a result of this retreat, five interdisciplinary groups were formed to pursue research in the areas of pain and symptom management, access to services, translational research, education, and communication. An overview of the retreat and direction of research for each group is provided.

Measuring quality of end-of-life communication and decision-making: Do we have this right?

KEY POINTS A recent report from the Institute of Medicine identifies good clinician–patient communication and effective shared decision-making as essential components of a high-quality end-of-life experience,[1][1] which should ensure that a person receives end-of-life care that is concordant with