Religion and culture play important roles in influencing end-of-life communication among the elderly. However, little is known about end-of-life communication among elderly nursing home residents. A qualitative study involving a sample of 13 elderly residents of a non- government nursing home in the north of Peninsular Malaysia was conducted to investigate residents' attitudes and ideas about their end-of-life preferences. Thematic analysis was performed to identify major themes emerging from the interviews. This study found that elderly residents actively avoided end-of-life communication, but that their cultural and religious beliefs remained of paramount importance. It is hoped that these findings will provide a platform upon which to improve current nursing home care in Malaysia. © The Author(s) 2018.Background Patient platforms are seen as promising technologies in an integrated care approach to involve cancer patients in their own health care and to support them in managing their personal health information. However, few digital platforms have been codesigned with patients and caregivers. Objective To develop, implement, and evaluate the feasibility and applicability of a digital oncology platform (DOP) for patients with cancer. Method A mixed-method study was used, employing a survey, interviews, and logged data from caregivers and patients. The DOP was designed in cooperation with Information Technology (IT) staff, caregivers, and patients. Results The DOP was actively used by half of the patients. These active patients were positive about the DOP. Caregivers acknowledged the added value but also indicate that additional workload was involved. Oncology nurse specialists are the users of the platform. General practitioners have indicated their interest in the platform. Conclusion Thanks to the codesign process, the DOP could be tailored to the expectations of the end users. This study provides insight into which DOP functionalities the patients were interested in and includes further recommendations for implementation. © The Author(s) 2019.Introduction Lung cancer remains the leading cause of oncologic mortality in the United States. Computed tomography (CT) screening has begun to combat this prevalent health problem. Prior to enrollment, a shared decision-making conversation is required to ensure a patient preference decision. This is the first and only imaging study to hold this requirement and compliance has been suspected to be low, but there is limited literature proving this. Methods At a single academic institution, 30 patients who declined and 38 patients who enrolled in CT lung cancer screening were interviewed about their shared decision-making provider conversation. All referring providers were surveyed regarding their methods of shared decision-making for CT lung cancer screening. Clinical notes were evaluated 9 months prior to 2 interventions and 6 months following the first intervention to improve clinical documentation. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/idasanutlin-rg-7388.html Results 85% to 89% of the interviewed patients could not recall a decision aid used during the shared decision-making conversation. Zero percent of clinical notes met the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) encounter requirements for shared decision-making despite interventions to improve knowledge and ease accessibility to decision aids and documentation templates. Discussion Lack of compliance with CMS requirements has a low patient decision satisfaction. This also places the institution at risk for financial repercussions of reimbursement which may jeopardize the longevity of screening programs. Development of strategies to improve the patient experience and provider facilitation are nascent and require a dedicated leadership team with carefully constructed electronic health record support. © The Author(s) 2018.Background Good communication skills enhance the patient experience, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Objective A course was developed by an interdisciplinary team (surgeon, nurse practitioner, and nurse MBA) for advanced practice providers (APPs) working for the department of surgery-a mix of practice and hospital-employed professionals-to enhance communications skills in an inpatient setting. Methods Current concepts on provider-patient communication were discussed. Participants also asked to view and critique a video "provider-patient communication gone wrong" scenario. Lastly, participants were provided with techniques for improving provider-patient communication. The participants assessed the course. Provider communication scores were tracked from quarter 1, Fiscal Year 2014 to quarter 4 Fiscal Year 2017. Results Of 110 eligible APPs, 95 (86%) attended the course. The anonymous survey response rate was 90% (86/95). Participants expressed satisfaction with the course content confirmed by Likert score weighted averages of >4.6/5 in all 8 domains. Communication scores increased with time. Conclusion An interdisciplinary course aimed at enhancing provider-patient communication skills was well-received by the APP participants. The course was part of ongoing system-wide efforts to improve patient experiences, satisfaction, and outcomes. Continuing education in communication continues to play a key role in improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. © The Author(s) 2018.Background Comprehensive and effective multiple sclerosis (MS) health care requires understanding of patients' needs, preferences, and priorities. Objective To evaluate priorities of patients with MS for their MS care. Methods Participants included 3003 Americans with MS recruited through the National MS Society and the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis patient registry. Participants completed a comprehensive questionnaire on aspects of their health-care experiences. Results Participants identified the top 3 health-care priorities as (1) the affordability of MS health care, (2) ensuring that non-MS health-care providers have more education about MS and how it can interact with other conditions, and (3) access to an MS center or specialized MS clinic with MS health-care professionals together in one place. Participants receiving care in an MS center rated the quality and their satisfaction with care higher than those receiving care in other settings. Although having the opportunity to evaluate their health-care quality was important to the participants, only 36.