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Emanuel G, Verne J, Forbes K, Hounsome L, Henson KE. Community prescribing for cancer patients at the end of life: a national study. BMJ Support Palliat Care 2023; 13:e361-e372. [PMID: 34083319 DOI: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-002952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Good end-of-life care is essential to ensure dignity and comfort in death. To our knowledge, there has not been a national population-based study in England of community prescribing of all drugs used in end-of-life care for patients with cancer. METHODS 57 632 people who died from malignant cancer in their own home or in a care home in 2017 in England were included in this study. National routinely collected data were used to examine community prescriptions dispensed for drugs for symptom control and anticipatory prescribing by key sociodemographic factors in the last 4 months of life. RESULTS 94% of people who died received drugs to control their symptoms and 65% received anticipatory prescribing. Prescribing increased for the symptom control drug group (53% to 75%) and the anticipatory prescribing group (4% to 52%) over the 4-month period to death. CONCLUSIONS Most individuals who died of cancer in their own home or a care home were dispensed drugs commonly used to control symptoms at the end of life, as recommended by best-practice guidance. Lower prescribing activity was found for those who died in a care home, highlighting a potential need for improved end-of-life service planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Emanuel
- National Disease Registration Service, Public Health England, London, UK
| | - Julia Verne
- National End of Life Care Intelligence Network, Public Health England, Bristol, UK
| | - Karen Forbes
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Luke Hounsome
- National Disease Registration Service, Public Health England, London, UK
| | - Katherine E Henson
- National Disease Registration Service, Public Health England, London, UK
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Andersson S, Sandgren A. Organizational readiness to implement the Serious Illness Care Program in hospital settings in Sweden. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:539. [PMID: 35459204 PMCID: PMC9026003 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-07923-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Serious Illness Care Program (SICP) is a model developed for structured communication, identifying patients, and training physicians to use a structured guide for conversations with patients and family members. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the sustainable implementation of this conversation model. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify barriers and enablers during the implementation of the SICP in hospital settings. Methods The SICP was implemented at 20 units in two hospitals in Sweden. During the implementation process, seven individual interviews and two group interviews were conducted with seven facilitators (five physicians, one behavioral therapist, and one administrator). Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, first inductively, and then deductively using the organizational readiness for change as a theoretical framework. Result The analysis resulted in three factors acting as enablers and eight factors acting as enablers and/or barriers during the implementation of the SICP. The three factors considered as enablers were preliminaries, identifying patients, and facilitator’s role. The eight factors considered as enablers and/or barriers were broad implementation, leadership, time, confidence, building foundation, motivation to work change, motivation for training in serious illness conversations, and attitudes. Conclusion This study indicates limited readiness to implement the SICP in hospital settings due to considerable variation in organizational contextual factors, change efficacy, and change commitment. The identified enablers and barriers for implementation of the SICP could guide and support future implementations to be sustainable over time. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07923-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Andersson
- Center for Collaborative Palliative Care, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.
| | - Anna Sandgren
- Center for Collaborative Palliative Care, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
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A third of dying patients do not have end-of-life discussions with a physician: A nationwide registry study. Palliat Support Care 2021; 20:357-362. [PMID: 34158146 DOI: 10.1017/s1478951521000973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to explore the proportion of adult patients and next-of-kin who had end-of-life (EOL) discussions and associated factors. METHOD A retrospective nationwide registry study was reported with data from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care. All patients in Sweden in hospitals, nursing homes, own homes, community, and palliative care units during 2015-2017 and their next-of-kin were included. Data were reported to the register by healthcare staff, based on diseased patients' records regarding their last days of life, and were voluntary. Descriptive statistics illustrated the proportion of patients/next-of-kin who had EOL discussions and logistic regressions were used to examine associated factors. RESULTS About half of the patients (46%) did have an EOL discussion, but a third (32%) did not. Associated factors of those who did not have an EOL discussion were dementia (48.5%) or stroke (47.5%), older age (38.4%), being female (33.6%), being cared for in a nursing home (41.3%), or hospital (40.3%), having lost decision-making ability months before death (58.9%), and not having a documented decision to shift to EOL care (82.7%). Younger patients diagnosed with cancer and cared for at a palliative unit were more likely to have EOL discussions. The regression analysis showed similar results for next-of-kin. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS The result shows that not all patients with palliative care needs have equal access to EOL discussions, despite efforts at a national level and the recognized benefits of timely communication about the EOL care. Further efforts must be made to achieve EOL discussions for all patients.
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Andersson S, Martinsson L, Fürst CJ, Brännström M. End-of-life discussions in residential care homes improves symptom control: a national register study. BMJ Support Palliat Care 2021:bmjspcare-2021-002983. [PMID: 34162583 DOI: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-002983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Europe, residential care homes (RCHs) rather than hospitals are the most common care facilities for the older adult and the place where most deaths occur in this age group. There is a lack of knowledge regarding end-of-life (EOL) discussions and how they correlate with symptoms and symptom relief. OBJECTIVE The aim was to examine the correlation between EOL discussions and symptom occurrence, symptom relief and prescriptions or PRN drugs against symptoms for care home residents. METHODS All expected deaths at RCHs from 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2016 and registered in the Swedish Register of Palliative Care were included. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to compare the RCH residents, or their family members, who had received documented EOL discussions with a physician (the EOL discussion group) and the non-EOL discussion group. RESULTS The EOL discussion group (n=17 071) had a higher prevalence of pain, nausea, anxiety, death rattles and shortness of breath reported, compared with the non-EOL discussion group (n=4164). Those with symptoms were more often completely relieved and had more often been prescribed PRN drugs against that symptom in the EOL discussion group. All differences remained significant when adjusting for age, time living in unit and cause of death. CONCLUSION The results indicate that EOL discussions are correlated with higher prevalence of symptoms, but also with better symptom relief and prescription of symptom drugs PRN when symptomatic. A possible explanation for this is that the EOL discussion can work as an opportunity to discuss symptoms and treatment for symptom relief.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Martinsson
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Carl Johan Fürst
- The Institute for Palliative Care, Lund University and Skåne Regional Council, Lund, Sweden
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Martinsson L, Strang P, Bergström J, Lundström S. Dying from COVID-19 in nursing homes-sex differences in symptom occurrence. BMC Geriatr 2021; 21:294. [PMID: 33957890 PMCID: PMC8100361 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-021-02228-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a disease with diverse presentation. Several studies have shown different occurrence of symptoms for women and men, but no studies have been found examining sex differences in clinical presentation for nursing home residents dying from COVID-19. The objective of this study was to describe sex and age differences and the impact of a dementia diagnosis on symptom occurrence during the last week in life for persons dying from COVID-19 in nursing homes. Methods This is a population-based retrospective study based on data from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care. A total of 1994 residents aged 65 or older who died from COVID-19 in nursing homes were identified. The impact of sex, age and a dementia diagnosis on six different symptoms was analysed using chi2-test and multivariate logistic regression. Results Residents dying from COVID-19 were more often men (p < .002). Men more often had dyspnoea and death rattles (p < .001). Nausea was more common in women (p < .001). No sex differences in the occurrence of pain, anxiety or confusion were seen. Dyspnoea and nausea were less commonly reported in residents with dementia (p < .001). Conclusions We found sex differences in symptom presentation for fatal COVID-19 in nursing home settings which remained after adjusting for age. Residents with a dementia diagnosis had fewer symptoms reported before death compared to those without dementia. Clinical presentation of fatal COVID-19 differs between women and men in nursing homes. Residents with fatal COVID-19 present with more unspecific and less prominent symptoms when also suffering from dementia. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-021-02228-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Martinsson
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, SE-90187, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Peter Strang
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,R & D department, Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jonas Bergström
- Palliative Care Unit, Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Staffan Lundström
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,R & D department, Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
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Tanghe M, Van Den Noortgate N, Deliens L, Smets T, Onwuteaka-Philipsen B, Szczerbińska K, Finne-Soveri H, Payne S, Gambassi G, Van den Block L, Piers R. Opioid underuse in terminal care of long-term care facility residents with pain and/or dyspnoea: A cross-sectional PACE-survey in six European countries. Palliat Med 2020; 34:784-794. [PMID: 32286149 DOI: 10.1177/0269216320910332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Opioids relieve symptoms in terminal care. We studied opioid underuse in long-term care facilities, defined as residents without opioid prescription despite pain and/or dyspnoea, 3 days prior to death. DESIGN AND SETTING In a proportionally stratified randomly selected sample of long-term care facilities in six European Union countries, nurses and long-term care facility management completed structured after-death questionnaires within 3 months of residents' death. MEASUREMENTS Nurses assessed pain/dyspnoea with Comfort Assessment in Dying with Dementia scale and checked opioid prescription by chart review. We estimated opioid underuse per country and per symptom and calculated associations of opioid underuse by multilevel, multivariable analysis. RESULTS Nurses' response rate was 81.6%, 95.7% for managers. Of 901 deceased residents with pain/dyspnoea reported in the last week, 10.6% had dyspnoea, 34.4% had pain and 55.0% had both symptoms. Opioid underuse per country was 19.2% (95% confidence interval: 12.9-27.2) in the Netherlands, 25.2% (18.3-33.6) in Belgium, 29.3% (16.9-45.8) in England, 33.7% (26.2-42.2) in Finland, 64.6% (52.0-75.4) in Italy and 79.1% (71.2-85.3) in Poland (p < 0.001). Opioid underuse was 57.2% (33.0-78.4) for dyspnoea, 41.2% (95% confidence interval: 21.9-63.8) for pain and 37.4% (19.4-59.6) for both symptoms (p = 0.013). Odds of opioid underuse were lower (odds ratio: 0.33; 95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.54) when pain was assessed. CONCLUSION Opioid underuse differs between countries. Pain and dyspnoea should be formally assessed at the end-of-life and taken into account in physicians orders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Tanghe
- End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nele Van Den Noortgate
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luc Deliens
- End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tinne Smets
- End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bregje Onwuteaka-Philipsen
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Expertise Center for Palliative Care, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Sheila Payne
- International Observatory on End of Life Care, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Giovanni Gambassi
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Lieve Van den Block
- End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ruth Piers
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
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Ozanne A, Sawatzky R, Håkanson C, Alvariza A, Fürst CJ, Årestedt K, Öhlén J. Symptom relief during last week of life in neurological diseases. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01348. [PMID: 31287226 PMCID: PMC6710202 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate symptom prevalence, symptom relief, and palliative care indicators during the last week of life, comparing them for patients with motor neuron disease (MND), central nervous system tumors (CNS tumor), and other neurological diseases (OND). MATERIAL & METHODS Data were obtained from the Swedish Register for Palliative Care, which documents care during the last week of life. Logistic regression was used to compare patients with MND (n = 419), CNS tumor (n = 799), and OND (n = 1,407) as the cause of death. RESULTS The most prevalent symptoms for all neurological disease groups were pain (52.7% to 72.2%) and rattles (58.1% to 65.6%). Compared to MND and OND, patients with CNS tumors were more likely to have totally relieved pain, shortness of breath, rattles, and anxiety. They were also more likely to have their pain assessed with a validated tool; to receive symptom treatment for anxiety, nausea, rattles, and pain; to have had family members receive end-of-life discussions; to have someone present at death; and to have had their family members offered bereavement support. Both patients with CNS tumor and MND were more likely than patients with OND to receive consultation with a pain unit and to have had end-of-life discussions. CONCLUSIONS The study reveals high symptom burden and differences in palliative care between the groups during the last week of life. There is a need for person-centered care planning based on a palliative approach, focused on improving symptom assessments, relief, and end-of-life conversations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneli Ozanne
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Richard Sawatzky
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,School of Nursing, Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Cecilia Håkanson
- Department of Nursing Science, Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anette Alvariza
- Department of Health Care Sciences, Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, Stockholm, Sweden.,Capio Palliative Care, Dalen hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carl Johan Fürst
- The Institute for Palliative Care, Lund University and Region Skåne, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kristofer Årestedt
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.,The Research Section, Kalmar County Council, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Joakim Öhlén
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Palliative Centre, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.,The University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-centred Care, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Bökberg C, Behm L, Wallerstedt B, Ahlström G. Evaluation of person-centeredness in nursing homes after a palliative care intervention: pre- and post-test experimental design. BMC Palliat Care 2019; 18:44. [PMID: 31151438 PMCID: PMC6543575 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-019-0431-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The needs of care based on palliative principles are stressed for all people with progressive and/or life-limiting conditions, regardless of age and the place in which care is provided. Person-centred palliative care strives to make the whole person visible and prioritizes the satisfaction of spiritual, existential, social, and psychological needs to the same extent as physical needs. However, person-centred palliative care for older persons in nursing homes seems to be sparse, possibly because staff in nursing homes do not have sufficient knowledge, skills, and training in managing symptoms and other aspects of palliative care. METHODS This study aimed to evaluate whether an educational intervention had any effect on the staff's perception of providing person-centred palliative care for older persons in nursing homes. METHODS A knowledge-based palliative care intervention consisting of five 2-h seminars during a 6-month period was implemented at 20 nursing homes in Sweden. In total, 365 staff members were participated, 167 in the intervention group and 198 in the control group. Data were collected using two questionnaires, the Person-centred Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) and the Person-Centred Climate Questionnaire (PCQ-S), answered before (baseline) and 3 months after (follow-up) the educational intervention was completed. Descriptive, comparative, and univariate logistical regression analyses were performed. RESULTS Both the intervention group and the control group revealed high median scores in all subscales at baseline, except for the subscale amount of organizational and environmental support in the P-CAT. The staff's high rating level of person-centred care before the intervention provides limited space for further improvements at follow-up. CONCLUSION This study shows that staff perceived that managers' and the organization's amount of support to them in their everyday work was the only area for improvement in order to maintain person-centred care. The experiences among staff are crucial knowledge in understanding how palliative care can be made person-centred in spite of often limited resources in nursing homes. The dose and intensity of education activities of the intervention model need to be tested in future research to develop the most effective implementation model. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT02708498 . Date of registration 26 February 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Bökberg
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, P.O. Box 157, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Lina Behm
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, P.O. Box 157, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden
| | - Birgitta Wallerstedt
- Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Centre for Collaborative Palliative Care Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Gerd Ahlström
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, P.O. Box 157, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden
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Abstract
Palliative sedation (PS) is performed in the terminally ill patient to manage one or more refractory symptoms. Proportional PS, which means that drugs can be titrated to the minimum effective dose, is the form most widely used. From a quarter to a third of all terminally ill patients undergo PS, with a quarter of these requiring continuous deep sedation. The prevalence of PS varies according to the care setting and case mix. The most frequent refractory physical symptoms are delirium and dyspnea, but PS is also considered for existential suffering or psychological distress, which is an extremely difficult and delicate issue to deal with. Active consensus from the patient and advanced care planning is recommended for PS. The decision-making process concerning the continuation or withdrawal of other treatments is not the same as that used for PS. The practice differs totally from euthanasia in its intentions, procedures, and results. The most widely used drugs are midazolam and haloperidol for refractory delirium, but chlorpromazine and other neuroleptics are also effective. In conclusion, some patients experience refractory symptoms during the last hours or days of life and PS is a medical intervention aimed at managing this unbearable suffering. It does not have a detrimental effect on survival.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Romina Rossi
- Palliative Care Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy
| | - Marco Maltoni
- Palliative Care Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy.
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Morris DB. Optimal relief for pain at the end of life: a caregiver's tale. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2018; 44:120-124. [PMID: 29669800 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2017-011427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The current opioid crisis-driven partly by medical overprescription and partly by illegal drug abuse-is a significant cultural and professional dilemma in the USA and elsewhere. It has produced a strong reaction in favour of restricting medical use of opioids for pain, especially chronic pain. The author for a quarter century has written about pain from a biocultural perspective, and in this essay-based on his experience as primary caregiver for his late wife-he approaches the question of appropriate opioid use at the end of life.
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