BackgroundPalliative care patients, those suffering from at least one chronic lifelong medical condition and hospice care patients, those with a life expectancy less than 6 months, are regularly hospitalised in general internal medicine wards. By means of a clinical case, this review aims to equip the internist with an approach to bleeding in this population. Firstly, practical advice on platelet transfusions will be provided. Secondly, the management of bleeding in site-specific situations will be addressed (from the ENT/pulmonary sphere, gastrointestinal - urogenital tract and cutaneous ulcers). Finally, an algorithm pertaining to the management of catastrophic bleeding is proposed.MethodsElectronic databases, including EMBASE, Pubmed, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library were studied as primary resources, in association with local guidelines, to identify papers exploring platelet transfusions and alternative management of site-specific bleeding in palliative care patients.ResultsHaemorrhagic complications are frequent in palliative care patients in the internal medicine ward. Current guidelines propose a therapeutic-only platelet transfusion policy. Nonetheless, prophylactic and/or therapeutic transfusion remains a physician-dependent decision. Site-specific therapeutic options are based on expert opinion and case reports. While invasive measures may be pertinent in certain situations, their application must be compatible with patient goals. Catastrophic bleeding requires caregivers' comforting presence; pharmacological management is secondary.ConclusionLiterature is lacking regarding management of bleeding in the palliative care population hospitalised in an acute medical setting. Recommendations are of limited quality, the majority based on case reports or expert opinion. Further studies, exploring for example the impact on patient quality of life, are desirable to improve the management of this frequently encountered complication.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine in palliative care was initially developed in countries where geography or resources limit access to care services. Recently, largely owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this technology is being increasingly used in highly urbanised countries such as Switzerland. However, there is still scepticism regarding whether these tools can be used effectively in palliative care, a relationship-based speciality that is generally highly dependent on compassion, communication and direct human interaction. The objective of this review was to analyse the needs, elements of feasibility, and reasons for acceptance or possible barriers before the implementation of a telemedicine intervention in Switzerland. METHODS: The method used was a scoping review, following the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. We searched the PubMed, Ovid SP, Medline, Cochrane and Scopus databases for relevant reports. Charting and analyses of the data were done by a single researcher. A total of 520 records were screened and assessed for eligibility. Finally, 27 studies and 4 registry entries were included. Main reasons for exclusion were wrong population and intervention. RESULTS: The prevailing study type was the single-arm intervention study. Most studies originated from countries with geographic barriers to access. Feasibility was good in 69% of all studies. Good acceptability (84.1–100%) was confirmed in the majority of the studies. The needs of the patients or the healthcare professionals were directly addressed in only five (16%) studies. Three needs were consistently reported: communication, coordination and technical reliability CONCLUSION: Despite a broad range of studies on telemedicine in palliative care, patients’ needs are rarely addressed. Therefore, especially in countries such as Switzerland, a needs assessment is recommended before the implementation of a new telemedicine intervention, to guarantee high feasibility and acceptability.

Background and aimsThe occurrence rate of adverse events (AEs) related to care among hospitalized oncology patients in Switzerland remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to describe, for the first time, the occurrence rate, type, severity of harm, and preventability of AEs related to care, reported in health records of hospitalized hematological and solid‐tumor cancer patients in three Swiss hospitals.MethodsUsing an adapted version of the validated Global Trigger Tool (GTT) from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, we conducted a retrospective record review of patients discharged from oncology units over a 6‐week period during 2018. Our convenience sample included all records from adult patients (≥18 years of age), diagnosed with cancer, and hospitalized (>24 hours). Per the GTT method, two trained nurses independently assessed patient records to identify AEs using triggers, and physicians from the included units analyzed the consensus of the two nurses. Together, they assessed the severity and preventability of each AE.ResultsFrom the sample of 224 reviewed records, we identified 661 triggers and 169 AEs in 94 of them (42%). Pain related to care was the most frequent AE (n = 29), followed by constipation (n = 17). AEs rates were 75.4 per 100 admissions and 106.6 per 1000 patient days. Most of the identified AEs (78%) caused temporary harm to the patient and required an intervention. Among AEs during hospitalization (n = 125), 76 (61%) were considered not preventable, 28 (22%) preventable, and 21 (17%) undetermined.ConclusionAbout half of the hospitalized oncology patients suffered from at least one AE related to care during their hospitalization. Pain, constipation, and nosocomial infections were the most frequent AEs. It is, therefore, essential to identify AEs to guide future clinical practice initiatives to ensure patient safety.

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ObjectiveTo assess the impact of COVID-19 on the palliative care (PC) publication trend in the last 10 years and the collaboration between countries and main topics that were discussed in the papers.MethodsWe used Scopus to identify publications on PC between 2012 and 2021 and publications about PC and COVID-19 between 2020 and 2021. We used VOSviewer to assess the main topics using the keywords from the papers and to assess country collaboration.Results1937 publications resulted. An increase in publications about PC was observed during the pandemic, only partially explained by OVID-19-related publications. Cancer-related PC publications were the ones with the most marked increase. We identified six clusters in the distribution of the keywords: bioethics, cancer, nursing home/telemedicine, public health, caring and PC following the WHO definition. The countries with higher number of publications were the United States and England.ConclusionWe showed an increase in the number of PC publications in the last 2 years that was only partially explained by COVID-19-related publications. Most of the publications increase was due to cancer-related publications, since, during the time of the pandemic, publications on cancer and PC increased markedly, while those on heart failure, lung disease and dementia, remained constant.