OBJECTIVES: To define the frequency of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related symptoms among veterans who are near the end of life and to describe the impact that these symptoms have on patients and their families. METHODS: Patients had received inpatient or outpatient care from a participating VA facility in the last month of life, and one family member per patient was selected using predefined eligibility criteria. Family members then completed a telephone survey, The Family Assessment of Treatment at End-of-Life, which assessed their perceptions of the quality of the care that the patients and they themselves received during the patients' last month of life. RESULTS: Seventeen percent of patients (89 of 524) were reported to have had PTSD-related symptoms in the last month of life. PTSD-related symptoms caused discomfort less often than pain did (mean frequency score 1.79 vs. 1.93; Wilcoxon sign rank test, P<0.001) but more often than dyspnea did (mean severity score 1.79 vs. 1.73; Wilcoxon sign rank test, P<0.001). Family members of patients with PTSD-related symptoms reported less satisfaction overall with the care the patient received (mean score 48 vs. 62; rank sum test, P<0.001). Patients who received a palliative care consult (n=49) had lower ratings of discomfort attributed to PTSD-related symptoms (mean 1.55 vs. 2.07; rank sum test, P=0.007). CONCLUSION: PTSD-related symptoms may be common and severe among veterans near the end of life and may have a negative effect on families' perceptions of the quality of care that the veteran received. (c) 2010 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVES: To define the frequency of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related symptoms among veterans who are near the end of life and to describe the impact that these symptoms have on patients and their families. METHODS:Patients had received inpatient or outpatient care from a participating VA facility in the last month of life, and one family member per patient was selected using predefined eligibility criteria. Family members then completed a telephone survey, The Family Assessment of Treatment at End-of-Life, which assessed their perceptions of the quality of the care that the patients and they themselves received during the patients' last month of life. RESULTS: Seventeen percent of patients (89 of 524) were reported to have had PTSD-related symptoms in the last month of life. PTSD-related symptoms caused discomfort less often than pain did (mean frequency score 1.79 vs. 1.93; Wilcoxon sign rank test, P<0.001) but more often than dyspnea did (mean severity score 1.79 vs. 1.73; Wilcoxon sign rank test, P<0.001). Family members of patients with PTSD-related symptoms reported less satisfaction overall with the care the patient received (mean score 48 vs. 62; rank sum test, P<0.001). Patients who received a palliative care consult (n=49) had lower ratings of discomfort attributed to PTSD-related symptoms (mean 1.55 vs. 2.07; rank sum test, P=0.007). CONCLUSION:PTSD-related symptoms may be common and severe among veterans near the end of life and may have a negative effect on families' perceptions of the quality of care that the veteran received. (c) 2010 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors: Anica Pless Kaiser; Kelly O'Malley; Jennifer Moye; Anna G Etchin; Lynn Korsun; Rachel Weiskittle; Hannah Bashian; Katherine Kemp; Zachary S Sager Journal: Prog Palliat Care Date: 2021-10-03
Authors: Deborah Edwards; Sally Anstey; Michael Coffey; Paul Gill; Mala Mann; Alan Meudell; Ben Hannigan Journal: Palliat Med Date: 2021-09-03 Impact factor: 4.762