Audio-visual materials play a fundamental role in the context of education, care and clinical treatment, as they seem to have a high impact on public awareness. This study aims to describe what messages are perceived by the society at an International Festival of Short Films and Art on Diseases that may help to understand difficult topics, such as illness, dying and suffering. Through an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study, using full participant observation and an open, self-administered questionnaire, 32 short films were analysed during a healthcare art festival. Categories were developed using inductive content analysis. The message perceived by the participants, after the viewing of the shorts and reflection of the debates among the attendees, were considered in four categories: i) creative and positive education is possible; ii) awareness of preconception and practical duties; iii) meaning of life changes the experience of illness; iv) family and caregivers also experienced suffering. The short films are considered as an excellent tool to generate social dialogue and debate. Public events can be understood as an opportunity to acquire, in an emotional and critical manner, other competencies for public awareness. Together, they are capable of communicating difficult messages through a fast, positive, and creative way.

Perceived competence is a subject’s perception of being able to interact effectively with the environment. Perceived Competence in the face of death in Nursing degree programs in which the presence of the subject of death and bereavement is key becomes more topical and relevant. The objective of this study is to determine whether this competence is improved through Nursing Studies. This study was designed as paired repeated intrasubject measures, initial measurement at the beginning of the first year and second measurement in the fourth year of the Nursing degree. One hundred and seventeen nursing students were assessed. Significant improvement is evidenced in three of the four dimensions of Perceived Competence in the face of death (Accompaniment and Communication: 25.70/29.34; Self-Confidence: 9.64/12.78; Management of Self-Fear: 13.18/14.66). These results show notable differences with their cross-sectional predecessors, suggesting the need for further studies in this field to consolidate a still developing body of knowledge.

Background/Objectives: Palliative sedation may relieve refractory suffering in patients with advanced cancer receiving end-of-life care at home. We aimed to describe patient characteristics, palliative sedation use, refractory symptoms, and sedation-related outcomes in a specialized hospital-at-home unit. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients with advanced cancer who died during 2022 while receiving care from the Instituto Valenciano de Oncología hospital-at-home unit, Spain. Admission required clinical and social assessment confirming the need for hospital-level home care, feasibility of care at home, and adequate caregiver support. Sociodemographic, clinical, and sedation-related data were obtained from medical records. Analyses were descriptive and exploratory; associations were unadjusted. Results: The cohort included 113 patients; 80 (70.8%) received palliative sedation. Median age was 76 years (IQR, 19), and 59 patients (52.2%) were men. An elastomeric infuser was used in 74 sedated patients (92.5%). Sedation duration had a median of 1 day (IQR, 2; range, 0–10). Symptom documentation was available for 56 sedated patients (70.0%); dyspnea was documented in 35 (62.5%), delirium in 19 (33.9%), and pain in 14 (25.0%). Symptoms could coexist. The median number of parenteral medications was 4 (IQR, 1). Conclusions: Palliative sedation was frequently used in this selected specialized home-care cohort and generally lasted a short period. The prevalence should not be generalized to other settings. Incomplete documentation and the retrospective, single-centre design limit interpretation. Prospective multi-centre studies are needed.

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