A way to screen for suffering in palliative care

Author(s): Limonero, J. T., Comas, M. D.

Journal/Book: J Palliative Care. 1997; 13: 110 Pine Ave W, Montreal Pq H2W 1R7, Canada. Center Bioethics Clin Res Inst Montreal. 22-26.

Abstract: We report a new tool for screening the suffering of terminally ill patients in a palliative care service. We systematically asked 371 terminal oncological and AIDS patients on 665 different occasions, ''How long did yesterday seem to you?''; we then asked them to assess their current condition. The simple answer about subjective length of time correlated well with subjective suffering in approximately half the patients. Thus it may be a good starting point for future assessment and more extensive explorations.

Note: Article Bayes R, Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Psicol Educ, Unitat Psicol Basica, Apartat Postal 29, Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona, SPAIN

Zurück | Weiter