Quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors compared to healthy check-up women / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to compare quality of life of disease-free patients after therapy for gynecologic malignancies at follow-up in comparison with healthy check-up patients. Our second objective was to assess correlation between demographic data, disease and treatment factors and quality of life scores. METHODS: Patients completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) quality of life questionnaire at least 6 months after treatment for a gynecologic malignancy. Responses were compared to unmatched healthy women who were seen for standard gynecologic screening examinations. Statistical calculation was done using chi-squared tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis and Spearman rank correlations. Factors associated with FACT-G scores were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Eight hundred and seventy patients were recruited. The median time since therapy was 61 months (range, 6 to 173 months). The overall FACT-G scores were higher in the patient group than in the healthy group (p<0.05). The scores of each subscale measuring physical, functional, social/family and emotional well-being were also higher in the patient group (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed correlation between Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, educational level, care giver, presence of economic problems and FACT-G scores. CONCLUSION: The quality of life scores were higher in gynecologic cancer patients after treatment. And the factors that associated with the higher score in the patient group are having husband as a caregiver, no financial problem, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score 0 or 1 and having high school or higher education.

The Development of a Clinical Nursing Practice Guideline for Patients with Implanted Port: An Evidence-Based Approach

Abstract: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a clinical nursing practice guideline (CNPG) in caring for patients with implanted port insertion at Ramathibodi Hospital. This CNPG was conducted under literature reviews and research synthesis. The CNPG contents were divided into six parts: 1) chemotherapy administration, 2) nutritional administration, 3) intravenous fluid and drug administration, 4) blood transfusion administration, 5) blood drawing for laboratory test, and 6) port maintenance. The content validity was examined by five experts. The implementation of the guideline was conducted in a medical outpatient clinic and in a short stay unit. A short-term evaluation made by 12 registered nurses who cared for patients with implanted port perceived the usefulness of this guideline that it: 1) reduces complications such as infection and occlusion; 2) reduces working duration; and 3) reduces cost. In addition, the nurse evaluators reported that the CNPG: 1) covers essential contents for practice; 2) its language is simple and understandable; 3) is feasible;and 4) enables nurses feel confident to care for patients with implanted port. In terms of satisfaction, the nurse evaluators reported their satisfaction with the CNPG as the ùvery goodû and ùgoodû levels. However, the long-term evaluation of complications was unableto complete at this time because of the limited time and follow-up system. In conclusion, this developed CNPG is proposed to use in clinical practice for improving quality of nursing care in patients with implanted ports.