Table 4. Summary of findings from quasi-experimental studies.

Authors	Design	n	Palliative care diagnosis	Intervention (dose, route, duration)	Control	Main outcomes	Secondary outcomes	Depression measures	Results (depression)	Side effects
Falk58	Observational, retrospective chart review	16 (eight intervention, eight control)	Inpatient/palliative care unit; cancer (various)	Single dose of 0.25 mg/kg IV S-ketamine	Standard care (does not require ketamine for pain)	Anxiety	Depression	STADI score before and 1-4 days after treatment	No significant effect of S-ketamine on depression, compared with control (F1,14 = 0.31, p = 0.59) and baseline (F1,14 = 1.80, p = 0.20)	No serious side effects, changes in restlessness/anxiety or persistent psychotomimetic effects
Irwin16	Open label trial	14 (intervention)	Hospice; multiple (cancer and non-cancer)	Daily oral doses of 0.5 mg/kg ketamine for 28 days	None	Depression	Anxiety	HADS score at baseline and days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28	HADS-D scores on days 14 (mean = 3.5, 95%CI 1.09-5.90, p = 0.01), 21 (mean = 4.1, 95%CI 2.0-6.2, p = 0.002), and 28 (mean = 4, 95%CI 2.3-5.9, p = 0.001) were significantly lower than the baseline scores	No vital sign changes or serious side effects Mild side effects (diarrhea, trouble sleeping, and trouble sitting) were observed in 12.5% of the patients

HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale; IV = intravenous; STADI = State Trait Anxiety Depression Inventory.