ERIC Number: EJ750414
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 23
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0714-9808
EISSN: N/A
A Literature Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of the Organization of Care at the End of Life
Thomas, Roger E.; Wilson, Donna; Sheps, Sam
Canadian Journal on Aging, v25 n3 p271-293 Fall 2006
We searched nine electronic databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about care at the end of life and found 23 RCTs. We assessed their quality using the criteria of the Cochrane Collaboration. The RCTs researched three themes: (a) the effect of providing palliative care through dedicated community teams on quality of life, on the management of symptoms, on satisfaction with care, on the duration of the palliative period, and on place of death; (b) the effects of specific palliative care intervention--advanced planning of care for the end of life, patient-held records, providing quality-of-life data to patients and physicians, grief education for relatives, palliative care education for nurses, and palliative care for patients with dementia; and (c) the costs of palliative compared to conventional care. We identify difficulties in conducting research on palliative care and solutions and discuss future possible research themes.
Descriptors: Dementia, Quality of Life, Life Satisfaction, Social Indicators, Medical Care Evaluation, Clinical Psychology, Hospices (Terminal Care), Literature Reviews, Online Searching, Milieu Therapy, Research Problems, Health Care Costs, Community Health Services
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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