Publication Language: English

End-of-life care can be delivered in a variety of settings, whereby the majority of terminally-ill cancer patients prefer to die at home. The aim of our study is to evaluate health services utilisation during the last year of life, and to compare terminally ill patients who have received home-specialised palliative care services (HSPCS) with patients …

Taking care of terminally-ill patients at home – the economic perspective revisited Read More »

Background: Opioids are considered a cornerstone in the treatment of cancer and non-cancer pain. The World Health Organization considers a country’s morphine consumption to be an important indicator of the quality of pain control. There is little or no use of opioids in nearly half of the countries in the world. Objective: To assess the change in …

Trend in Opioids use for Chronic Pain Treatment at Clalit Health Services (2000-2004) Read More »

Background: The prevalence of chronic pain in the general population ranges from 10% to over 40%, depending on the definition and the population studied. No large study has been conducted in Israel. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of patients with chronic pain, and characterize them in a large community random sample. Methods: We conducted a survey of Clalit …

Chronic pain: a population-based study Read More »

The Bedouin population of the Negev region in Israel consists of 180,000 Muslims, half of whom live in six townships. The other half is dispersed in small temporary settlements (huts, tents) with no running water or electricity. Accessibility is quite difficult, with no paved roads or any form of motorized public transportation. For patients with …

Providing Cultural-Sensitive Palliative Care in the Desert – The Experience, the Need, the Challenges, and the Solution Read More »

Objective. The objective of this study was to assess opioid use during 7 years (2000–2006) amongClalit Health Services (CHS) members.Design. Purchasing data of opioids authorized for use in Israel were obtained from the computerized databases of CHS. Patient demographics and cancer morbidity were also extracted. The datawere analyzed by converting the purchased opioids to oral …

Opioid Use in an Israeli Health Maintenance Organization: 2000–2006 Read More »

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate safety, feasibility, and efficacy of continuous drug delivery by the subcutaneous route through a solution bag connected to an infusion set compared with an infusion pump in a home palliative care setting. Methods: Patients in need of continuous subcutaneous medication delivery for pain control, nausea, and/or vomiting were …

Continuous subcutaneous delivery of medications for home care palliative patients-using an infusion set or a pump? Read More »

Context: Cancer patients have impaired humoral and cellular immunity, and are more susceptible to infections; their immunological response is expected to be less effective than that of healthy people. Objectives: To assess the immune response to influenza vaccine in terminally ill cancer patients in a home palliative care unit. Methods: During the fall of 2000-2001, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007, …

Influenza vaccination for terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care: a preliminary report Read More »

In many European countries the use of opioids for long-term treatment of non-malignant pain has dramatically increased during the last decade in order to improve the patient’s quality of life, to allow social activities and the return to work. Therefore, the issue of driving by patients regularly taking opioids, and its medico-legal aspects, concerns physicians, …

Opioids and Driving Read More »