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Objective: To study whether E-learning methods are feasible in the post-graduate education of palliative medicine. Methods: A mixed-methods study. Evaluations from pilot course attendees were analyzed numerically and answers to open-ended questions about E-learning were analyzed using inductive content analysis. A national pilot E-learning-based post-graduate course in palliative medicine with 24 participating physicians in Finland. The evaluation of teaching modules and different aspects of the course was achieved from the participants through numerical statements and open-ended questions. Results: The feedback on most aspects of the course was good. For example, issues of pain and symptom control, lectures, pre-exams, and group discussions were deemed suitable for E-learning, while studying communication and existential issues through E-learning was considered more challenging. The benefits of E-learning included efficacy, better accessibility, and the possibility to go back to the teaching material. Reduced networking and face-to-face interactions were stated as challenges of E-learning. Conclusions: E-learning is feasible in the post-graduate education of palliative medicine and can be 'surprisingly rewarding'. It allows easy access to learn many important topics, while social networking may fall short. Further studies are needed to assess the increase in competence by different learning methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for high quality palliative care at end-of-life has been increasingly recognized while regional differences exist in its quality and availability. Basic palliative care is given by oncologists at any stage of the disease, but this does not cover the high need for specialized palliative care. The aim of this study was to assess the trends in end-of-life decisions among patients dying in a university hospital oncology ward before and after the implementation of a palliative outpatient clinic. The study population consists of all patients who died in the Kuopio University Hospital oncology ward between 1.1.2010–31.10.2011 and 1.1.2012–31.12.2018. The palliative outpatient clinic was established and set up in November - December 2011. Data on inpatient stays, cancer treatments, treatment decisions, and some background factors were retrieved from electronic records. The study population totaled 644 patients dying in the oncology ward at KUH (57.8% males; 42.2% females). The deaths comprise 17.2% (191/1108) of all cancer deaths in 2010–2011 and 11.1% (461/4049) in 2012–2018 in the KUH catchment area (North-Savo Health Care District). In years 2012–2018, 14.1% of patients treated at KUH oncology clinic visited the palliative outpatient clinic. The percentage of DNR (do-not-resuscitate), palliative care, and end-of-life (EOL) care decisions increased significantly in the later period. The decisions were mainly made during the last week of life. The proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy during the last two weeks of life remained stable. The proportion of patients receiving DNR, palliative care and EOL care decisions increased after the implementation of the palliative outpatient clinic, but the decisions were still made rather late, mainly during the last days of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spiritual care constitutes an indispensable aspect of palliative care (PC). Health care professionals encounter challenges when addressing spiritual care at the end of life. Developing appropriate attitudes toward end-of-life care can facilitate the acquisition of competencies needed for effective delivery of spiritual care., Aim: To explore the perceptions of spiritual care and attitudes toward end-of-life care among PC professionals., Design: The Finnish version of the "Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale" (SSCRS-FIN) and a newly developed "Attitudes toward End-of-Life Issues" (AEOLI) questionnaire were validated and utilized., Setting/participants: Both questionnaires were distributed to PC professionals involved in PC through an online survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The newly derived factors were subsequently examined for their associations with age, gender, profession, affiliation with a religious community, personal interpretation of spirituality, and years of professional experience., Results: A total of 204 participants took part in the study (163 nurses, 19 nursing students, and 22 physicians). Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, as indicated by Cronbach's alpha coefficients, for the five factors of SSCRS-FIN: "Spirituality" (0.733), "Existential" (0.614), "Spiritual Needs" (0.599), "Passive Spiritual Care" (0.750), and "Active Spiritual Care" (0.665); and for the seven factors of AEOLI: "Anxiety" (0.823), "Discussion" (0.924), "End-of-Life" (0.573), "Education" (0.692), "Medically Induced Death" (0.859), "Suffering" (0.671), and "Knowledge" (0.444). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated satisfactory fit values for both questionnaires. Significant positive correlations were observed between end-of-life care and the factors "Existential," "Spiritual Needs," and spiritual care factors, whereas an inverse correlation was found among "Anxiety," "Medically Induced Death," and all factors of SSCRS-FIN., Conclusions: Valid and reliable questionnaires for assessing spiritual care (SSCRS-FIN) and attitudes toward end-of-life care (AEOLI) were developed. Attitudes toward end-of-life care were positively correlated with perceptions of spiritual care., (© Raimo Goyarrola et al., 2024; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

BRAF-V600E mutation (mt) is a strong negative prognostic and predictive biomarker in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Non-V600Emt, designated atypical BRAFmt (aBRAFmt) are rare, and little is known about their frequency, co-mutations and prognostic and predictive role. These were compared between mutational groups of mCRC patients collected from three Nordic population-based or real-world cohorts. Pathology of aBRAFmt was studied. The study included 1449 mCRC patients with 51 (3%) aBRAFmt, 182 (13%) BRAF-V600Emt, 456 (31%) RAS&BRAF wild-type (wt) and 760 (52%) RASmt tumours. aBRAFmt were seen in 2% of real-world and 4% of population-based cohorts. Twenty-six different aBRAFmt were detected, 11 (22%) class 2 (serrated adenocarcinoma in 2/9 tested), 32 (64%) class 3 (serrated in 15/25) and 4 (8%) unclassified. aBRAFmt patients were predominantly male, had more rectal primaries, less peritoneal metastases, deficient mismatch repair in one (2%), and better survival after metastasectomy (89% 5-year overall survival [OS]-rate) compared with BRAF-V600Emt. aBRAFmt and BRAF-V600Emt had poorer performance status and received fewer treatment lines than RAS&BRAFwt and RASmt. OS among aBRAFmt (median 14.4 months) was longer than for BRAF-V600Emt (11.2 months), but shorter than for RAS&BRAFwt (30.5 months) and RASmt (23.4 months). Addition of bevacizumab trended for better OS for the aBRAFmt. Nine patients with aBRAFmt received cetuximab/panitumumab without response. aBRAFmt represents a distinct subgroup differing from other RAS/BRAF groups, with serrated adenocarcinoma in only half. OS for patients with aBRAFmt tumours was slightly better than for BRAF-V600Emt, but worse than for RASmt and RAS&BRAFwt. aBRAFmt should not be a contraindication for metastasectomy., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC.)