Palliative Care Commons^™

End-Of-Life Healthcare Use Of Medicare Patients With Melanoma Based On Patient Characteristics And Year Of Death, Rebecca N. Hutchinson, F. Lee Lucas, Kathleen Fairfield

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Background: Many cancer patients receive overly-intensive care at end-of-life (EOL), despite recognition that this is a marker of poor quality. There is limited knowledge about care received by patients dying with melanoma.

Objective: We characterized healthcare utilization during EOL and patient characteristics associated with variations in care. We also described how utilization changed over time.

Methods: We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database to identify 9099 melanoma patients aged 65+ at diagnosis between 2000 and 2009, who died by 12/31/2010. We included patients enrolled in Medicare part A and B six-months prior to diagnosis and not in managed …

What A Difference A Disaster Makes: The Telehealth Revolution In The Age Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Jr Maese, D Seminara, Z Shah, A Szerszen

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Antiresorptive Bone Therapy Use In Advanced Lung Cancer And Associated Outcomes, Noor Naffakh

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Background/Rationale: Studies have shown antiresorptive agents decrease skeletal related events in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. However, two prevalence studies have found low utilization rates of antiresorptive therapy in advanced lung cancer. The first study reported a rate of 14.8% during the 1995-2009 time period, while the second study reported a 33% usage rate during the time frame of 2002-2011. We believe these low utilization rates are associated with the poor prognosis of these patients. The prognosis of advanced lung cancer has improved significantly since these trials were conducted, and the utilization of denosumab has not been evaluated. We hypothesize …

Hoping To Die Well: An Exploration Of The Good Death, Emily Folse, Thomas Smith, Phd

Phase 1

Introduction: Many healthcare providers are uncomfortable and ill-equipped to talk about death with terminally ill patients and their families. This often results in unnecessary, aggressive medical interventions at the end of life and deaths discordant with patients’ wishes. In order to help patients die better deaths, it is first necessary to determine the character of a good death.

Methods: The good death was considered from secular and Catholic perspectives because religion is personally important to the author and many patients in the US. Features of a good death were elucidated by careful reading of scientific and humanistic literature and conversing …

Home Health Care Resource Binder: A User-Friendly Guide For Crossroads Hospice And Palliative Care, Deanna Eder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Patients and families searching for home health care need accurate information regarding the community resources available to them to promote aging in place and to maintain their quality of life. In connection to the social workers at Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care, the researcher identified a need for a centralized source of up-to-date information regarding local home health care agencies due to the current resource deficit. Social workers and other health care professionals are expected to benefit from a concise list of resources readily available to provide their patients and families with adequate support to make informed decisions about a …