Anneke Ullrich

• University Medical Center Hamburg - Eppendorf

Guideline-conform oncologic and palliative care in patients with incurable cancer includes regular care of their informal caregivers. These individuals present with a high psychosocial burden and distress; psychological and physical morbidities; impaired quality of life; and numerous, frequently unmet, support needs. Caring not only for the patient...

Introduction. Globally, hospitals are an important place in end-of-life care and most frequent place of death in Germany (47%), but at the same time, the least preferred one—both for patients and their informal caregivers. As hospital care in the dying phase on non-palliative care wards has rarely been studied systematically, we assessed the curren...

Background Family caregivers of terminally ill and dying people do not only experience varying levels but also different dimensions of caregiver-related strain and burden. The aim of the study was to develop a short multidimensional screening tool for the detection of burden in family caregivers in palliative care. Methods Family caregivers of can...

Background Informal caregivers are key support for patients with progressive incurable diseases. However, their own needs often remain unmet. Therefore, we developed, manualised and implemented the intervention “Being an informal caregiver – strengthening resources” aiming to support and empower informal caregivers by addressing relevant informatio...

Background Specialist palliative care (SPC) includes care for incurably ill patients and their family caregivers at home or on a palliative care ward until the very end of life. However, in the last days of life, patients can rarely express their needs and little is known about SPC outcomes as reported by multiprofessional SPC teams and family care...

Partizipation gewinnt im Gesundheitswesen an Bedeutung. Inwiefern und zu welchen Fragen findet Partizipation in der Palliativforschung statt? Eine Online-Befragung von Forschungseinrichtungen (März bis Juni 2022) zeigt, dass in acht von zehn Einrichtungen Fachpersonal, Angehörige sowie Patient*innenvertreter*innen, teils sporadisch, teils regelmäßi...

This prospective one-year cohort study aimed to assess the feasibility and outcomes of a routine psychosocial screening at patients’ admittance to specialist inpatient palliative care. Patients admitted to an academic palliative care ward were routinely screened for self-reported distress and psychological morbidity, psychosocial stress factors, an...

During humanitarian crises, such as a pandemic, healthcare systems worldwide face unknown challenges. This study aimed to explore and describe the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the needs of non-infected patients and family caregivers in specialist palliative care, using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using induct...

Background This study examined care needs and utilisation of psychosocial support services among parents of children who had received specialist paediatric palliative care, as well as the relationship between need fulfilment and grief. Possible differences between parents of children who died of cancer versus a non-cancer disease were explored. Me...

Background Hospitals are globally an important place of care for dying people and the most frequent place of death in Germany (47%), but at the same time, the least preferred one – for both patients and their relatives. Important indicators and outcome variables indexing quality of care in the dying phase are available, and various proposals to ach...

Background Beyond guideline-directed treatments aimed at improving cardiac function and prognosis in heart failure (HF), patient-reported outcomes have gained attention. Purpose Using a cross-sectional approach, we assessed symptom burden, psychosocial distress, and potential palliative care (PC) needs in patients with advanced stages of HF. Meth...

Background Today, guideline-based care for patients with advanced cancer includes regular assessment of needs, not only for patients, but also for their family caregivers.Objectives Identification, evaluation and short description of German validated self-assessment instruments for needs assessment of family caregivers that can be used in daily pra...

Abstract Background Personal last wishes of people facing a life-limiting illness may change closer to death and may vary across different forms of specialist palliative care (SPC). Aims To explore the presence and common themes of last wishes over time and according to the SPC settings (inpatient vs. home-based SPC), and to identify factors associ...

Background In the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, general and specialist Palliative Care (PC) plays an essential role in health care, contributing to symptom control, psycho-social support, and providing support in complex decision making. Numbers of COVID-19 related deaths have recently increased demanding more palliative care input. Also, the pandemic impac...

Background We investigated the need for additional professional support and associated factors in patients (pts) at initiation and in the course of in- and outpatient specialist palliative care (I-SPC/O-SPC). Methods Pts entering an urban SPC network consecutively completed questionnaires on psychosocial/spiritual problems and support needs within...

Background / Aims: To investigate the acceptance and benefits of two different strategies to timely integrate specialist palliative care (SPC) in routine cancer care: commonly recommended early SPC counselling versus an informational brochure plus SPC counselling upon patients' request. Methods: Patients diagnosed with incurable cancer within the...

Zusammenfassung Einleitung Eine leitliniengerechte onkologische Versorgung umfasst nicht nur die frühzeitige palliativmedizinische Mitbetreuung unheilbar erkrankter Patienten, sondern auch die Mitbetreuung ihrer Angehörigen. Untersuchungen zur Umsetzung im klinischen Alltag in Deutschland fehlen. Methoden Die AG Palliativmedizin im Netzwerk der von...

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated gender-specific impacts on symptoms and problems of patients receiving palliative care; however, there is limited knowledge about the impact of gender on the problems and needs of their family caregivers (FCs). Methods: Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews with FCs and healthcare p...

Purpose This study aimed at ( 1 ) investigating the work status of men treated by radical prostatectomy due to diagnosis of localized prostate cancer (LPCa) three years after having attended a cancer rehabilitation program and ( 2 ) identifying prospective risk factors for not working at this time point. Methods In a longitudinal, questionnaire-ba...

Background: We investigated the need for additional professional support and influencing factors in patients (pts) at initiation and in the course of in- and outpatient specialist palliative care (I-SPC/O-SPC). Methods: Pts entering an urban SPC network consecutively completed questionnaires on psychosocial/spiritual problems and support needs with...

Considering the risk of spiritual distress among terminally ill patients, experts long agree that spiritual care has to be an integral component of palliative care. Despite this con- sensus, the role of spirituality among family caregivers remains largely unexplored. We aimed to describe how spirituality manifests in the lived experience of family...

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the supportive care needs of family caregivers (FCs) of advanced cancer patients and their support service use at the beginning of specialist inpatient palliative care (SIPC), near the patient’s death, and during bereavement.MethodsFCs reported their needs using the Family Inventory of Needs (FIN), along with...

Objectives Palliative care (PC) has gained rising attention in a holistic treatment approach to chronic heart failure (HF). It is unclear whether there is a need for PC in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients or heart transplant recipients. Methods In a cross-sectional explorative pilot study, outpatients after heart transplantation (HTx...

Purpose To investigate factors associated with expectations of delayed return to work (RTW) in patients with prostate cancer recently admitted to a cancer rehabilitation program. Methods In this multicenter study, data about expected time until RTW and potential correlates (personal, medical, psychosocial and work-related factors) were obtained fro...

Background: Symptom assessment is essential in palliative care, but holds challenges concerning implementation and relevance. This study aims to evaluate patients' main symptoms and problems at admission to a specialist inpatient palliative care (SIPC) ward using physician proxy- and patient self-assessment, and aims to identify their prognostic i...

Background: Caring for patients with advanced or terminal diseases can confront family caregivers (FC) with ethical challenges. The present study aims at tracing paths connected to ethical challenges among FC of advanced cancer patients by exploring morally troubling situations and related burden, as well as strategies to handle the situation and...

Background: Early integration of palliative care concurrently to standard cancer care is associated with several benefits for patients and their caregivers. However, communication barriers on part of the caring physicians often impede a timely referral to palliative care. This study describes the protocol of the evaluation of a communication skill...

Background Eating and drinking are essential also in social life. Nutrition and hydration (N&H) at end of life are often a source of discussion and distress. Stopping eating and drinking is a defining element of the dying phase, however, this time point is not well defined. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to investigate whether such a ti...

This study is aimed at identifying the impact of a team-based train-the-trainer program (TTT-P) to enhance healthcare professional (HCP) skills in patient education during medical rehabilitation. Focusing on patient-reported outcomes, a prospective, sequential two-cohort study was conducted in the fields of psychosomatic and oncological rehabilitat...

Background: Inpatient palliative care consultation (IPCC) teams have been established to improve care for patients with specialist palliative care (PC) needs throughout all hospital departments. The objective is to explore physicians' perceptions on the impact of IPCC, its triggers, challenges and limits, and their suggestions for future service i...

Introduction: The aim of our study was to investigate challenges faced by emergency physicians (EPs) who provide prehospital emergency care to patients with advanced incurable diseases and family caregivers in their familiar home environment. Methods: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with open-ended questions to collect data fro...

Background: This study prospectively evaluated distress, depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as associated factors in family caregivers (FC) of advanced cancer patients at initiation of specialist inpatient palliative care. Methods: Within 72 h after the patient's first admission, FCs were asked to complete German versions of the Distress Th...

Objective To investigate prevalence and predictors of postloss distress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and quality of life among bereaved family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. Methods Prospective multicenter study. Family caregivers (N = 160, mean age 56.8 years, 66% female) completed validated outcome measures (Distress Thermomet...

Background: Gender disparities of specific symptoms and problems have frequently been observed in palliative care patients, but research rarely focused on the range of problems and needs affected by gender. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) of a hospital-based palliative care unit...

Background: Family caregivers' (FC) situation may differ across the tra-jectory of patients' (PT) disease and may escalate when PT are nearing death. Aims: To explore what it means for FC to care for PT with advanced cancer at time of incurable diagnosis, during palliative care and at end-of-life. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews usi...

Hintergrund: Diese Studie untersucht Angst, Depressivität, Lebensqualität (QoL) sowie die Inanspruchnahme psychosozialer Unterstützungsangebote von Angehörigen onkologischer Patienten zu Beginn einer spezialisierten stationären Palliativversorgung (SSPV). Methoden: In der multizentrischen Studie wurden 232 Angehörige innerhalb von 72 Stunden nac...

Background: This prospective multicentre-study aimed to analyze return to work (RTW) among prostate cancer survivors 12 months after having attended a cancer rehabilitation program and to identify risk factors for no and late RTW. Methods: Seven hundred eleven employed prostate cancer survivors treated with radical prostatectomy completed valida...

Purpose: Approximately 60% of patients are able to work following a cancer diagnosis. The return-to-work (RTW) process after disability can be conceptualized as a multi-phase construct. This study investigated RTW outcomes throughout the RTW process among survivors of prostate cancer (PC) attending a cancer rehabilitation measure. Methods: The s...

Background This pilot study aimed to investigate quality of life, psychological burden, unmet needs, and care satisfaction in family caregivers of advanced cancer patients (FCs) during specialized inpatient palliative care (SIPC) and to test feasibility and acceptance of the questionnaire survey. Methods During a period of 12 weeks, FCs were recru...

We evaluated processes in in- and outpatient rehabilitation after radical prostatectomy. Overall, we analyzed motivation and expectations of 119 in- and 719 outpatients (aged?64) at the beginning of rehabilitation as well as satisfaction and the amount of interventions at the end. Compared to inpatients outpatients had a higher socio-economic statu...

Objective: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) rarely receive palliative care today. Methods: In a cross-sectional pilot study we evaluated feasibility of self-assessment and physician-directed screening for palliative care need in CHF patients. Patients answered German versions of the “Minimal Documentation system for patients in palliative...

Hintergrund: Angehörige von Patienten in palliativer Erkrankungssituation weisen vielfältige psychische Belastungen und Unterstützungsbedürfnisse auf. Ziel dieser deskriptiven monozentrischen Pilotstudie war eine erste Einschätzung subjektiver Belastung, Ängstlichkeit, Depressivität und (un-)erfüllter Bedürfnisse bei Angehörigen von Krebspatienten...

Purpose A radical prostatectomy might lead to an impaired quality of life. Aim of the study was to analyse the impact of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation on psychosocial and physical outcomes in patients after surgery. Methods Six hundred nineteen inpatients and 95 outpatients, treated for localized prostate cancer by prostatectomy, complete...

Background: Research has shown positive effects of music therapy on the physical and mental well-being of terminally ill patients. This study aimed to identify favored subjects and psychosocial needs of terminally ill cancer patients during music therapy and associated factors. Methods: Forty-one Patients receiving specialized inpatient palliati...

Background: Although the Occupational Stress and Coping Inventory (AVEM) questionnaire is used to assess work behaviour during occupation-related oncological rehabilitation, little is known about its psychometric characteristics in cancer patients. Therefore, we analysed the psychometric properties of the AVEM in this group. Material and methods:...

The provision of high-quality health-services is only possible if it is based on vocational education of corresponding quality. To promote the quality of vocational education in speech therapy, a quality assurance programme was developed in a scientifically supervised multi-step process. The main goals of the quality assurance programme include: (i...

Background: The purpose of the study was to explore the association between work-related factors and not returning to work in cancer patients. The identification of any special issues contributes to the development of occupation-related rehabilitation programmes. This study focused on aspects that may be influenced by patients with the help of cou...

Aim of the study: We evaluated an occupation-related rehabilitation program, which has been designed to enhance the return to work of cancer patients. As return to work plays an important role to get back to normalcy after suffering from cancer, there is a substantial need for support and evaluated programs. Methods: The study had a quasi-experi...

Due to improved prognosis most cancer survivors are nowadays able to return to work. This review explored gender-related differences in work-related outcomes after cancer. A systematic search of studies on work-related issues in cancer survivors published between January 2001 and July 2011 was conducted. 44 original publications met the inclusion c...

Aufgrund verbesserter Prognosen können viele Patientinnen und Patienten mit einer Krebsdiagnose heute wieder in das Berufsleben zurückkehren. Das vorliegende systematische Review untersucht geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede der beruflichen Folgen einer Krebserkrankung. Dafür wurde eine systematische Datenbankrecherche der zwischen 01/2001 und 07/...

Fragestellung: Das vorgestellte Projekt fokussiert auf die Erfassung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität sowie die Exploration psychosozialer Belastungen und Ressourcen von Patienten nach Polytrauma. Material und Methode: 28 Patienten schätzten 2–4 Jahre nach Polytrauma anhand des SF-36 ihre gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität ein. In einer Inte...

Usability criteria sum up cognitions and perceptions of professional methods and problem solutions such as quality assurance in health care. They are important for the dissemination and implementation of innovations and the effectivity and efficiency of systems. In order to extract such criteria in an explorative structured review, publications fro...