Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

All Outputs (31)

Minimal clinically important differences in average, best, worst and current intensity and unpleasantness of chronic breathlessness (2020)
Journal Article
Ekström, M., Johnson, M. J., Huang, C., & Currow, D. C. (2020). Minimal clinically important differences in average, best, worst and current intensity and unpleasantness of chronic breathlessness. European respiratory journal, 56(2), Article 1902202. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.02202-2019

Copyright ©ERS 2020. BACKGROUND: Chronic breathlessness has devastating consequences. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for current intensity has been estimated as 9 mm on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). We aimed to determine M... Read More about Minimal clinically important differences in average, best, worst and current intensity and unpleasantness of chronic breathlessness.

Letter in Response to Grobler AC, Lee K. Intention-To-Treat Analyses for Randomized Controlled Trials in Hospice/Palliative Care Enhanced by Principled Methods to Handle Missing Data (2020)
Journal Article
Huang, C., Kochovska, S., & Currow, D. C. (2020). Letter in Response to Grobler AC, Lee K. Intention-To-Treat Analyses for Randomized Controlled Trials in Hospice/Palliative Care Enhanced by Principled Methods to Handle Missing Data. Journal of pain and symptom management, 60(4), e30-e31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.07.004

Intention-to-treat analyses for randomised controlled trials in hospice/palliative care: the case for analyses to be of people exposed to the intervention. (2019)
Journal Article
Kochovska, S., Huang, C., Johnson, M. J., Agar, M. R., Fallon, M. T., Kaasa, S., …Currow, D. C. (2020). Intention-to-treat analyses for randomised controlled trials in hospice/palliative care: the case for analyses to be of people exposed to the intervention. Journal of pain and symptom management, 59(3), 637-645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.10.026

© 2019 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Context: Minimizing bias in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) includes intention-to-treat analyses. Hospice/palliative care RCTs are constrained by high attrition unpredictable when consent... Read More about Intention-to-treat analyses for randomised controlled trials in hospice/palliative care: the case for analyses to be of people exposed to the intervention..

Agreement between breathlessness severity and unpleasantness in people with chronic breathlessness: A longitudinal clinical study (2019)
Journal Article
Ekström, M., Williams, M., Johnson, M. J., Huang, C., & Currow, D. C. (2019). Agreement between breathlessness severity and unpleasantness in people with chronic breathlessness: A longitudinal clinical study. Journal of pain and symptom management, 57(4), 715-723.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.01.001

Context: Chronic breathlessness is a cardinal symptom in cardiopulmonary disease where both overall intensity or severity (S) and unpleasantness (U) are commonly quantified. Objective: We aimed to evaluate agreement between breathlessness severity an... Read More about Agreement between breathlessness severity and unpleasantness in people with chronic breathlessness: A longitudinal clinical study.

A randomized open-label study of guideline-driven antiemetic therapy versus single agent antiemetic therapy in patients with advanced cancer and nausea not related to anticancer treatment (2018)
Journal Article
Hardy, J., Skerman, H., Glare, P., Philip, J., Hudson, P., Mitchell, G., …Yates, P. (2018). A randomized open-label study of guideline-driven antiemetic therapy versus single agent antiemetic therapy in patients with advanced cancer and nausea not related to anticancer treatment. BMC Cancer, 18(1), Article 510. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-018-4404-8

© 2018 The Author(s). Background: Nausea/vomiting (N/V) not related to anti-cancer treatment is common in patients with advanced cancer. The standard approach to management is to define a dominant cause, and treat with an antiemetic selected through... Read More about A randomized open-label study of guideline-driven antiemetic therapy versus single agent antiemetic therapy in patients with advanced cancer and nausea not related to anticancer treatment.

One evidence base; three stories: do opioids relieve chronic breathlessness? (2017)
Journal Article
Ekstrom, M., Currow, D. C., Johnson, M. J., Ekström, M., Bajwah, S., Bland, J. M., Currow, D., Hussain, J., & Johnson, M. (2018). One evidence base; three stories: do opioids relieve chronic breathlessness?. Thorax, 73(1), 88-90. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2016-209868

Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/. The efficacy of low-dose systemic opioids for chronic br... Read More about One evidence base; three stories: do opioids relieve chronic breathlessness?.

Insights from Australians with respiratory disease living in the community with experience of self-managing through an emergency department 'near miss' for breathlessness: A strengths-based qualitative study (2017)
Journal Article
Luckett, T., Phillips, J., Johnson, M., Garcia, M., Bhattarai, P., Carrieri-Kohlman, V., Hutchinson, A., Disler, R. T., Currow, D., Agar, M., Ivynian, S., Chye, R., Newton, P. J., & Davidson, P. M. (2017). Insights from Australians with respiratory disease living in the community with experience of self-managing through an emergency department 'near miss' for breathlessness: A strengths-based qualitative study. BMJ open, 7(12), e017536. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017536

Objectives Breathlessness ‘crises’ in people with chronic respiratory conditions are a common precipitant for emergency department (ED) presentations, many of which might be avoided through improved self-management and support. This study sought insi... Read More about Insights from Australians with respiratory disease living in the community with experience of self-managing through an emergency department 'near miss' for breathlessness: A strengths-based qualitative study.

The independent association of overweight and obesity with breathlessness in adults: a cross-sectional, population-based study (2017)
Journal Article
Currow, D. C., Dal Grande, E., Sidhu, C., Ekström, M., & Johnson, M. J. (2017). The independent association of overweight and obesity with breathlessness in adults: a cross-sectional, population-based study. European respiratory journal, 50(3), Article 1700558. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00558-2017

Obesity is an independent risk factor for chronic breathlessness and should be assessed in people with this symptom.

Pharmacovigilance in hospice/palliative care: Net effect of haloperidol for nausea or vomiting (2017)
Journal Article
Digges, M., Hussein, A., Wilcock, A., Crawford, G. B., Boland, J. W., Agar, M. R., Sinnarajah, A., Currow, D. C., & Johnson, M. J. (2018). Pharmacovigilance in hospice/palliative care: Net effect of haloperidol for nausea or vomiting. Journal of palliative medicine, 21(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2017.0159

Background Haloperidol is widely prescribed as an anti-emetic in patients receiving palliative care, but there is limited evidence to support and refine its use. Objective To explore the immediate and short-term net clinical effects of haloperidol wh... Read More about Pharmacovigilance in hospice/palliative care: Net effect of haloperidol for nausea or vomiting.

The complex relationship between household income of family caregivers, access to palliative care services and place of death: A national household population survey (2017)
Journal Article
Chen, H., Currow, D. C., Dunn, L., Johnson, M. J., Macleod, U., & Allgar, V. (2018). The complex relationship between household income of family caregivers, access to palliative care services and place of death: A national household population survey. Palliative medicine, 32(2), 357-365. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216317711825

Background: Previous work shows that more affluent patients with cancer are more likely to die at home, whereas those dying from non-cancer conditions are more likely to die in hospital. Family caregivers are an important factor in determining place... Read More about The complex relationship between household income of family caregivers, access to palliative care services and place of death: A national household population survey.

Effect of opioids and benzodiazepines on clinical outcomes in patients receiving palliative care: an exploratory analysis (2017)
Journal Article
Boland, J. W., Allgar, V., Boland, E. G., Oviasu, O., Agar, M., Currow, D. C., & Johnson, M. J. (2017). Effect of opioids and benzodiazepines on clinical outcomes in patients receiving palliative care: an exploratory analysis. Journal of palliative medicine, 20(11), 1274-1279. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2017.0129

Background: Medications for symptom management in palliative care have associated, but poorly understood, harms. Drug-related harms have important clinical implications, may impact on patients’ compliance and contribute to symptoms. Objective: To exp... Read More about Effect of opioids and benzodiazepines on clinical outcomes in patients receiving palliative care: an exploratory analysis.

Quality of missing data reporting and handling in palliative care trials demonstrates that further development of the CONSORT statement is required : a systematic review (2017)
Journal Article
Hussain, J. A., Johnson, M. J., Currow, D. C., White, I. R., Currow, D., Hussain, J., Johnson, M., Bland, M., Langan, D., & White, I. (2017). Quality of missing data reporting and handling in palliative care trials demonstrates that further development of the CONSORT statement is required : a systematic review. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 88, 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.05.009

Objectives Assess (i) the quality of reporting and handling of missing data (MD) in palliative care trials, (ii) whether there are differences in the reporting of criteria specified by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 sta... Read More about Quality of missing data reporting and handling in palliative care trials demonstrates that further development of the CONSORT statement is required : a systematic review.

Towards an expert consensus to delineate a clinical syndrome of chronic breathlessness (2017)
Journal Article
Johnson, M. J., Yorke, J., Hansen-Flaschen, J., Lansing, R., Ekström, M., Similowski, T., & Currow, D. (2017). Towards an expert consensus to delineate a clinical syndrome of chronic breathlessness. European respiratory journal, 49(5), Article 1602277. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.02277-2016

Copyright ©ERS 2017. Breathlessness that persists despite treatment for the underlying conditions is debilitating. Identifying this discrete entity as a clinical syndrome should raise awareness amongst patients, clinicians, service providers, researc... Read More about Towards an expert consensus to delineate a clinical syndrome of chronic breathlessness.

Chronic breathlessness associated with poorer physical and mental health-related quality of life (SF-12) across all adult age groups (2017)
Journal Article
Currow, D. C., Johnson, M. J., Dal Grande, E., Ekström, M., Ferreira, D., & McCaffrey, N. (2017). Chronic breathlessness associated with poorer physical and mental health-related quality of life (SF-12) across all adult age groups. Thorax, 72(12), 1151-1153. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2016-209908

© 2017 Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. Little is known about the impact of chronic breathlessness (modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) score ≥2 for most days, at least three of the last six months) on health-related quality of lif... Read More about Chronic breathlessness associated with poorer physical and mental health-related quality of life (SF-12) across all adult age groups.

Non-opioid medications for the relief of chronic breathlessness: current evidence (2017)
Journal Article
Barbetta, C., Currow, D. C., & Johnson, M. J. (2017). Non-opioid medications for the relief of chronic breathlessness: current evidence. Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, 11(4), 333-341. https://doi.org/10.1080/17476348.2017.1305896

Introduction: To evaluate systematically randomised clinical trials investigating non-opioid medications for the management and treatment of chronic breathlessness. Areas covered: The evidence for the role of benzodiazepines, anxiolytics, selective s... Read More about Non-opioid medications for the relief of chronic breathlessness: current evidence.

Somatostatin analogues compared to placebo and other pharmacological agents in the management of symptoms of inoperable malignant bowel obstruction: a systematic review (2016)
Journal Article
Obita, G. P., Boland, E. G., Currow, D. C., Johnson, M. J., & Boland, J. W. (2016). Somatostatin analogues compared to placebo and other pharmacological agents in the management of symptoms of inoperable malignant bowel obstruction: a systematic review. Journal of pain and symptom management, 52(6), 901-919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.05.032

Context Somatostatin analogues are commonly used to relieve symptoms in malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) but are more expensive than other antisecretory agents. Objectives To evaluate the evidence of effectiveness of somatostatin analogues compared... Read More about Somatostatin analogues compared to placebo and other pharmacological agents in the management of symptoms of inoperable malignant bowel obstruction: a systematic review.

Missing data in randomized controlled trials testing palliative interventions pose a significant risk of bias and loss of power: a systematic review and meta-analyses (2016)
Journal Article
Hussain, J. A., White, I. R., Langan, D., Johnson, M. J., Currow, D. C., Torgerson, D. J., & Bland, M. (2016). Missing data in randomized controlled trials testing palliative interventions pose a significant risk of bias and loss of power: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 74, 57-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.12.003

Objectives To assess the risk posed by missing data (MD) to the power and validity of trials evaluating palliative interventions. Study Design and Setting A systematic review of MD in published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of palliative interv... Read More about Missing data in randomized controlled trials testing palliative interventions pose a significant risk of bias and loss of power: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

Content and quality of websites supporting self-management of chronic breathlessness in advanced illness: a systematic review (2016)
Journal Article
Luckett, T., Disler, R., Hosie, A., Johnson, M., Davidson, P., Currow, D., Sumah, A., & Phillips, J. (2016). Content and quality of websites supporting self-management of chronic breathlessness in advanced illness: a systematic review. NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, 26(1), Article ARTN 16025. https://doi.org/10.1038/npjpcrm.2016.25

Chronic breathlessness is a common, burdensome and distressing symptom in many advanced chronic illnesses. Self-management strategies are essential to optimise treatment, daily functioning and emotional coping. People with chronic illness commonly se... Read More about Content and quality of websites supporting self-management of chronic breathlessness in advanced illness: a systematic review.

A mixed-methods, randomized controlled, feasibility trial to inform the design of a phase 3 trial to test the effect of the hand-held fan on physical activity and carer anxiety in patients with refractory breathlessness (2016)
Journal Article
Johnson, M. J., Booth, S., Currow, D. C., Lam, L. T., & Phillips, J. L. (2016). A mixed-methods, randomized controlled, feasibility trial to inform the design of a phase 3 trial to test the effect of the hand-held fan on physical activity and carer anxiety in patients with refractory breathlessness. Journal of pain and symptom management, 51(5), 807-815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.11.026

Context The handheld fan is an inexpensive and safe way to provide facial airflow, which may reduce the sensation of chronic refractory breathlessness, a frequently encountered symptom. Objectives To test the feasibility of developing an adequately p... Read More about A mixed-methods, randomized controlled, feasibility trial to inform the design of a phase 3 trial to test the effect of the hand-held fan on physical activity and carer anxiety in patients with refractory breathlessness.