It is important to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on inpatient care and the needs of inpatients and their families. We conducted an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey of inpatients who had been referred to our palliative care team, their families (hereafter referred to as patients' families), and their primary nurses (hereafter referred to as PNs). The EZR statistical software was used for statistical analysis, and p<0.05 was considered to indicate a significant difference. 31 patients [9 males, 22 females; median age 65 years (range 30-85 years)], 25 family members, and 26 PNs responded. The question “Do you ever feel depressed due to restricted visitation?” had a significantly stronger impact on patient families than on patients (p<0.05). Compared to patients, patient families tended to prefer face-to-face visits (p<0.05). The impact of visitation restrictions was greater on patients’ families than on the inpatients, suggesting that it is important to provide care and support to patients’ families especially during periods when there are visitation restrictions.

Introduction: Naloxone administration is considered for severe overdose symptoms during opioid administration. However, the actual status of naloxone administration during cancer pain treatment is unclear. Objective: To explore the frequency of patients who received naloxone for opioid overdose symptoms and the factors associated with naloxone administration. Methods: A retrospective study, naloxone use was selected from cancer patients receiving opioids at our hospital from 2014–2022, excluding those undergoing surgery or after tests and procedures. The type of opioid used, route of administration, dose and naloxone administration method, dose, and post-administration response were examined. Results: 18 patients (0.10%) were extracted, opioids at the time of naloxone administration were 81.6 (21–750) mg/day of oral morphine equivalent, and patient status (with duplicates) were: 8 patients with impaired renal function, 7 patients with clinical prognostic weeks, 4/3 patients after opioid change/increase. Discussion: Patients treated with naloxone are more likely to have impaired renal function, terminal stage, and after opioid change/increase, which may be risk factors that require attention for the emergence of overdose symptoms.

There are few reports on opioid pharmacokinetics and opioid switching in patients with small intestinal stomas. We experienced a case in which a 40-year-old man with an ileostomy experienced shortened analgesia and increased pain after switching from a fast-release to an extended-release formulation of tramadol. It is possible that the time required for passage through the small intestine and the absorption capacity of the extended-release formulation were insufficient for the extended-release formulation to function effectively, and that more detailed medication adjustment is necessary for patients with small intestinal stomas.