Background: Cachexia is common in patients with esophagogastric cancer and is associated with increased mortality. Nutritional screening and dietetic interventions can be helpful in preventing evolvement of cachexia. Our aim was to study the real-world prevalence and prognostic value of pretreatment …

Shared decision-making (SDM) is theprocess in which healthcare professionals and patients jointly discuss and decide which care and treatment policy is to be followed. The importance of SDM is increasingly being recognised across health settings, including palliative care. Little is known about SDM with …

Background: Palliative needs in older patients are often not timely identified. The Surprise Question (SQ) ‘would I be surprised if this patient died in the next year?’ is a well-researched tool that could aid in this effort. Most studies thus far involved physicians or specialist nurses, however the …

Background:  A transitional care pathway (TCP) could improve care for older patients in the last months of life. However, barriers exist such as unidentified palliative care needs and suboptimal collaboration between care settings. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of a TCP, named …

Context: Inadequate handovers between hospital and home can lead to adverse health outcomes. A group particularly at risk is patients at the end of life because of complex health problems, frequent care transitions, and involvement of many professionals.  Objectives: To investigate health care providers' …

PURPOSE: In this study we aimed (1) to identify the most prevalent physical symptoms and functional limitations that limit physical activity of patients with palliative treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and (2) to identify their preferences for exercise-based physical therapy programs, as …

OBJECTIVE: Depression among older adults predicts mortality after acute hospitalization. Depression is highly heterogeneous in its presentation of symptoms, whereas individual symptoms may differ in predictive value. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of individual cognitive-affective depressive …

Background: Increasing attention to palliative care for the general population has led to the development of various evidence-based or consensus-based tools and interventions. However, specific tools and interventions are needed for people with severe mental illness (SMI) who have a life-threatening …

Most people in The Netherlands have access to high quality palliative care—multidisciplinary total care aimed at patients’ quality of life when patients have limited life expectancies. All nurses and generalist physicians receive at least basic palliative care training. Nursing home staff is also well …