Background: End of life and palliative care remains less popular and underdeveloped in many countries. Palliative care services have been proven to facilitate preference towards good death. The present study aimed to determine patterns and factors associated with place of death in Brunei Darussalam.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in 2016 on all cancer deaths (n=801) recorded on the registry of death records in Brunei Darussalam. Data including sociodemographic characteristics and place of death were extracted from the medical records. Statistical analysis of data was done in SPSS 16 using binary logistic regression analysis at significance level of 0.05.
Results: The overall number of cancer deaths increased from 171 in 2013 to 320 in 2015. The highest number of cancer deaths was recorded among those aged 50-59 (31%), 60-69 (22.6%), and 50-59 years (24.7%) in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Age and living in Temburong district significantly associated with the place of death (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The location of specialized care settings associated with place of death among cancer patients. Our results may have important implication for development of specialized palliative and supportive care for end of life care.

Background: Palliative care is a holistic approach aimed at enhancing the quality of life for patients with cancer. Given the rising number of cancer patients in Iran, its significance has become increasingly apparent. This study investigates the effect of palliative care on the quality of life and satisfaction of patients with cancer.
Methods: This before-and-after quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2024 on 320 patients with breast, tongue, stomach, thyroid, osteosarcoma, and colon cancer at a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. Participants were selected through convenience sampling based on eligibility criteria, including being over 18 years of age, having literacy, being able to speak Persian, and being psychologically stable. The quality of life and life satisfaction of patients were assessed before and after participation in a structured palliative care program. The intervention consisted of six two-hour palliative care sessions, delivered over two months. Data were collected using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the EORTC QLQ-C30 Quality of Life Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software, version 26, and a paired t-test was employed for statistical evaluation.
Results: The results indicated that the participants had a mean age of 50.67 years, with a standard deviation of 13.23 years. After receiving palliative care, the overall quality of life score, along with its dimensions (except for emotional functioning, sore throat, and diarrhea), showed a significant improvement (P < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 2.36). Moreover, the intervention led to a significant improvement in patients' life satisfaction, with a p-value of less than 0.001 and a Cohen’s d of 1.01.
Conclusion: The study findings demonstrated that palliative care services, typically provided to individuals nearing the end of life, enhanced the quality of life for cancer patients. Policymakers should prioritize support for patients, and healthcare managers must collaborate to improve and provide palliative care services with qualified personnel, especially nurses.
 

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, irreversible respiratory condition that imposes a significant physical and psychological burden, often leading to a poor quality of life. Although palliative care can help address these challenges, in Iran it is typically limited to cancer patients and is not commonly provided to those with COPD. Globally, the early integration of palliative care for chronic illnesses is expanding. The present study aims to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of an early tele-palliative care intervention for patients with COPD in Iran and to explore its potential effects on quality of life, anxiety, depression, and emergency department readmissions.
Methods: This randomized controlled feasibility trial protocol involves a 3-month early tele-palliative care program delivered by two nurse coaches, targeting patients with COPD. Participantswere randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 26) or the control group (n = 26) using permuted block randomization. Both groups received traditional COPD care; however, the intervention group also received six weekly telephone sessions and six weeks of follow-up support via phone call and WhatsApp Messenger. The primary objective was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of early tele-palliative care, measured through recruitment and attrition rates, questionnaire completion rates, patient satisfaction, attitudes toward the intervention, and adherence to the intervention. The secondary outcome included changes in quality of life, anxiety, depression, and hospital readmissions. These were measured using validated instruments at two time points: Baseline (pre-intervention) and three months post-intervention. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 22, including the independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare the mean outcomes between the two groups while statistically controlling for the effect of baseline values. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Conclusion: This study protocol aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of an early tele-palliative care intervention for patients with COPD in Iran. The findings provided essential data to inform the design of a future large-scale clinical trial and support the potential integration of early telehealth palliative care into standard COPD management in the country.