This is a randomized, repeated measures, evaluation study to explore the effectiveness of the inpatient Pain and Palliative Care Service intervention. The data collected during this study includes both outcomes of the intervention and patient and family perceptions of the care delivery process including issues surrounding communication with health care providers. Patients with advanced malignancies who are currently participating in NCI Surgery Branch protocols are asked to participate in a pain and symptoms management evaluation study. Each patient and a designated family member is asked to complete a series of questionnaires over time exploring physical, psychosocial and emotional correlates of pain and symptom management. Fifty-one patients have been enrolled in the study during the past year for a total of 148 participants. Twenty-five patients were randomized into the control arm (standard care)of the study while twenty-six were randomized to the treatment arm (pain and palliative care consult). Three patients from the control group were crossed over to the treatment group at the discretion of their attending physician. Data collection and subject accrual continue.
| Wallen, Gwenyth R; Berger, Ann (2004) Mixed methods: in search of truth in palliative care medicine. J Palliat Med 7:403-4 |
