ABSTRACT
Antecedentes: Se ha señalado que la calidad de vida se deteriora luego de las resecciones pulmonares por cáncer del pulmón. Tal aseveración podría conducir a equivocaciones graves si llevara a negar la hasta hoy única posibilidad curativa en tales enfermos. Objetivos: Evaluar la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) en un grupo de enfermos operados por cáncer del pulmón. Lugar: División Cirugía Torácica, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Universidad de Buenos Aires. Diseño: Retrospectivo, a través de encuestas específicas y escala visual numérica. Población: 74 enfermos operados por cáncer del pulmón entre 1989 y 2005. Método: Evaluación de estado de salud con más de 80 puntos en la escala visual (máximo 100). Sólo hubo correlación positiva con dolor en los primeros seis meses del postoperatorio. Se destacaron 18 y 12% de depresión y ansiedad probables, inadvertidas en los exámenes clínicos habituales. Conclusiones: La CVRS no se ve significativamente reducida luego de resecciones pulmonares por cáncer. Su evaluación es útil para mejorar el seguimiento y el cuidado postoperatorio.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Pneumonectomy/adverse effects , Quality of Life , Lung Neoplasms/surgery , Retrospective Studies , Sickness Impact ProfileABSTRACT
The objective of this paper is to describe the magnitude and characteristics of the use of complementary therapies in clinical practice. A consecutive sample of 540 outpatients who had sought medical care for the first time at the General Internal Medicine Program of a University Hospital were interviewed. A questionnaire was completed, collecting socio-demographic informations, data on physical and psychological health, perception of physician-patient relationship, self-medication, and beliefs associated with the disease and its treatment. Lifetime prevalence use of alternative therapies was near 55%. The most used were homeopathy and herbal medicines (40.8% and 37.6%, respectively). The evaluation of these practices was considered "excellent/very good/and good" 84.5% of the time. Significant associations were: females (p < 0.00001), high level of education (p < 0.001), dissatisfaction with the way in which the cause of the disease had been investigated and how the diagnosis and treatment had been communicated (p < 0.03), psychological and psychiatric treatment (p < 0.00001), self-medication (p < 0.0002), pain and concern during over 6 months due to disease or disability (p < 0.00001), lack of confidence in scientific medicine (p < 0.00001), the belief that "spiritual problems" (p < 0.00001), "mental conditions" (p < 0.003), and "emotional conditions" (p < 0.00001), popular beliefs, particularly dano & envidia (p < 0.00001), and mal de ojo (p < 0.001) have triggered the disease. One third of the patients attended the hospital while undergoing an alternative therapy that may pose an interference or interaction hazard. Emphasis is placed on the importance of medical education to assess physician-patient relationship and the ability to convey trust in medical procedures and treatments, and scientific consulting for other practices