Volume 2 No 10-11 October-November 2008
In the News
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Connecticut End-of-Life Education Needs
Survey. The Connecticut Comprehensive
Cancer Control Program has awarded a grant to
the Connecticut Coalition to Improve End-of-Life
Care to conduct a state-wide survey of the
professional educational needs of clinicians who
care for patients near the end of life. Disciplinespecific confidential online questionnaires have
been developed for nurses, physicians,
pharmacists, social workers, pastoral care
clinicians and others (see web site for complete
list) across all settings throughout the state.
Please complete the survey & forward the
link to clinicians who care for patients at the
end of life.
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Happy 2nd Birthday to the Connecticut Challenge
Cancer Survivorship Clinic at Yale Cancer
Center
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Happy 1st Birthday to the Yale-New Haven
Hospital Palliative Care Service.
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The International Association for the Study of
Pain has announced that October 2008 –
October 2009 is the Global Year Against Cancer
Pain. In the announcement four specific types
of cancer related pain were cited. These are
common to many long-term survivors as well
patients who are on active treatment. A list of
online Fact Sheets was also made available.
See also in Journal Watch, below, the editorial
by Kalso & Paice.
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New HPNA chapter forming. A group of hospice
and palliative care nurses is working to form a
Connecticut chapter of the Hospice and
Palliative Nurses Association. Contact
information is available on the HPNA web site
(scroll down to “Groups.”)
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Diagnoses of cancer decline in US. Washington
Post news article.
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Connecticut has just launched its Prescription
Monitoring Program. The program, mandated
by state law in 2007, is designed to permit
prescribers and pharmacists to determine what
controlled substances have been prescribed for
individual patients. Brochures on the program
are being mailed to all prescribers and
pharmacists in Connecticut.
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FDA Consolidates Drug Safety Resources onto
single Web page
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Florence Wald, founder of the hospice
movement in the United States and the 4th Dean
of the Yale School of Nursing, died November 8.
A revealing interview with Ms Wald was
published in JAMA in 1999 (281(18):1683-1685.
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HPNA Nursing Fellowship in Palliative Care.
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The Connecticut Pain Initiative meets on the first
Wednesday of even-numbered months at the
American Cancer Society in Meriden. 6:15pm.
Info: Pat Trotta: [email protected]
Connecticut Challenge News
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The Connecticut Challenge has announced that
it raised $550,000 in its annual bike ride in 2008.
In addition to the pediatric and adult
Survivorship Clinics at Yale Cancer Center and
Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Connecticut
Challenge will provide support in 2009 to new
survivorship clinics at St. Vincent’s Hospital in
Bridgeport and Connecticut Children’s Medical
Center in Hartford.
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Registration is open for the 2009 Connecticut
Challenge bicycle ride on Saturday July 25.
Rides of 12, 25, 50, 75, and 100 miles are
available, as is a Kid’s Ride. All routes begin at
the Greenfield Church green in Fairfield. The
routes are very scenic, fun, and challenging, the
camaraderie & support outstanding. There are
many volunteer opportunities for non-riders, as
well. Several Yale and Y-NHH teams will be
forming. This 5th annual ride will raise money for
cancer education, research, and survivor care at
Yale Cancer Center, the HEROS pediatric
survivorship clinic at Yale-New Haven Hospital
and other survivorship programs in Connecticut.
Journal Watch
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Larkin PJ, et al. The management of
constipation in palliative care: clinical practice
recommendations. Palliative Medicine. 2008
Oct;22(7):796-807
To subscribe to YaleCares, send an email to [email protected]
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Oliver DP, et al. Barriers to Pain Management:
Caregiver Perceptions and Pain Talk by Hospice
Interdisciplinary Teams. Journal of Pain &
Symptom Management. 2008 May 19. [Epub
ahead of print]
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Wilkinson S, et al. Reflexology for symptom
relief in patients with cancer. Cancer Nursing.
2008 Sep-Oct;31(5):354-60. (CNE article)
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Wilkinson S, et al. Massage for symptom relief
in patients with cancer: systematic review.
Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2008
Sep;63(5):430-9.
Kalso E, Paice J. Global year on cancer pain.
Pain. 2008 Oct 22. [Epub ahead of print}
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Valeberg BT, Miaskowski C, Hanestad BR, et al.
(2008). Prevalence rates for and predictors of
self-reported adherence of oncology outpatients
with analgesic medications. Clinical J Pain,
24:627-36.
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Health Care Innovations Exchange: Palliative
Care. [An AHRQ resource]
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Health Care Innovations Exchange: Pain. [An
AHRQ resource]
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Pain PDQ. Information on cancer pain for
patients and professionals in English & Spanish.
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Pain-related e-newsletters
Corner J. Addressing the Needs of Cancer
Survivors: Issues and Challenges. Expert
Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes
Research. 2008;8(5):443-451. Free full text.
Two free resources promoting opioid safety from
Pain Treatment Topics:
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A Practical Guide for Prescribing
Controlled Substances [Opioid Safety
Tips™] (on reducing substance abuse risk)
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Safe Oral Equianalgesic Opioid Dosing for
Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Pain
Survivorship Library. Links to audio, video, and
PowerPoint presentations on survivorship and
supportive cancer care. These presentations
are from Yale Cancer Center-sponsored
symposia and the Yale Cancer Center Answers
radio program.
Policies and Tools for Hospital Palliative Care
Programs: A Crosswalk of National Quality
Forum Preferred Practices
Ten Myths Of Chronic Pain
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Pain Relief Connection—Massachusetts
General Hospital
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PainEDU Newsletter
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Currents-- American Academy of Pain
Management
Continuing Education
Yale
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Yale Bioethics Center’s End of Life Issues Study
Group monthly presentations. This year’s theme
is Issues of Justice in End of Life Care. 5:30pm,
77 Prospect Street, Rm B012.
Stacey BR, Barrett JA, Whalen E, et al. (2008).
Pregabalin for postherpetic neuralgia: placebocontrolled trial of fixed and flexible dosing
regimens on allodynia and time to onset of pain
relief. Journal of Pain; 9(11):1006-1017.
Online Resources
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Palliative Care Quick Facts. A free service for
patients from Get Palliative Care.org. Anyone
can subscribe for free monthly Quick Facts emails.
Gary Elkins, et al. Randomized Trial of a
Hypnosis Intervention for Treatment of Hot
Flashes Among Breast Cancer Survivors.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2008;26(31): 50225026
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Dec 2 The use of complementary
medicine in palliative care: The NIH
model. Ann Berger, MD.
Jan 13 Hospice Referrals and NonReferrals: Comparison of For-Profit and
Not-for-Profit Hospice. Elizabeth Bradley
Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Cancer
Survivorship Conference at Yale, March 2008.
10 hours of presentations on free CD set. $50
for 10 CME. Contact: [email protected].
Connecticut
• Dec 11, 6 – 7:30pm Management of opioidinduced constipation (OIC) in patients with
advanced illness. Sponsored by Southwest CT
ONS Chapter. Bridgeport. Registration: 1-877222-1203. CNE
• Jan 21, 5:30 – 7:00pm Culture Matters in Endof-Life Care. CME, CNE, CSWE.
• April 3, 8:00am – 4:30pm Advances in End of
Life Care, Annual Conference of Connecticut
Coalition to Improve End-of-Life Care. Cromwell.
CME, CNE, CSWE.
Elsewhere • Apr – Nov 2009. Applications are now being
accepted for the 2-session 2009 Program in
Palliative Care Education and Practice. Harvard
Medical School, Cambridge, MA.
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Mar 13 & 27, 8:00am – 4:30pm Multidisciplinary
Pain Relief Champion Training for hospitalbased clinicians. Boston. Info:
[email protected]. CNE, CME.
To subscribe to YaleCares, send an email to [email protected]
To subscribe to YaleCares, send an email to [email protected]