ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To assess breast cancer patients' quality of life six months after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy, and to investigate factors affecting this. METHODS: The study was conducted in one large hospital located in a major Greek city. A convenience sample of 61 breast cancer outpatients was recruited. A questionnaire, including the SF-36 scale and questions regarding demographic and clinical information, was used to collect data. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 51.52 ± 12.10. The effect of age on the physical role was significant (p = 0.003). Τhe effect of menopausal status on physical role was also found to be significant (p = 0.003); this might be explained by age. Regarding the treatment type, patients who received hormone therapy in addition to surgery and chemotherapy reported a significantly higher quality of life in terms of bodily pain (p = 0.04) and vitality (p = 0.04) than patients who underwent only surgery and chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life is affected by factors such as age, menopausal status, and previous therapy. Health care professionals should be more aware of the factors that influence the quality of life domains (physical role, bodily pain, vitality) within this group of cancer patients in order to meet their needs following acute treatment.
ABSTRACT
Background: Advanced cancer patients experience several physical or psychological symptoms which require palliative care for alleviation. Purpose: To assess the prevalence and intensity of symptoms among cancer patients receiving palliative care in a Greek hospital and to examine the association between reported symptoms and social clinical and demographic characteristics. Material-methods: This descriptive research was conducted during a sixmonth period using a convenient sample of 123 advanced cancer patients. All participants were assessed for their symptoms using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) with a questionnaire covering demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: The mean age was 63.8± 10.8 years, with lung and breast (58.5% and 11.4%, respectively) as the most common primary cancer types. The most severe symptoms were fatigue, sleep disturbance, dyspnea, depression and anxiety. Negative correlations were revealed between age and the following symptoms: pain (r = -0.354, p = 0.001), fatigue (r = -0.280, p = 0.002), nausea (r = -0.178, p = 0.049), anorexia (r = -0.188, p = 0.038), dyspnea (r = -0.251, p = 0.005), and depression (r = -0.223, p = 0.013). Advanced breast cancer patients scored higher in pain, fatigue and dyspnea compared to those with other cancers. Conclusions: Hospitalized cancer patients in Greece experience several symptoms during the last months of their life. These are influenced by demographic characteristics. Appropriate interventions are strongly advised with appropriate recognition and evaluation of symptoms by health professionals.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/complications , Neoplasms/physiopathology , Anorexia/etiology , Anxiety/etiology , Depression/etiology , Dyspnea/etiology , Fatigue/etiology , Female , Greece , Hospitals , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nausea/etiology , Pain/etiology , Palliative Care , Prevalence , Severity of Illness Index , Sleep Wake Disorders/etiology , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Adherence as a concept includes various types of health-related behavior. Better medical adherence leads to improved disease control and fewer diabetes-related complications. Quality of life and medication adherence are interrelated. Patients with diabetes who adhere to their treatment can experience an improvement in quality of life and vice versa. AIM: To assess treatment adherence in patients with type II diabetes, as well as the connection between adherence and quality of life. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive non-experimental study was conducted in a provincial hospital in Northern Greece. The sample examined was a convenience sample consisting of 108 patients with type II diabetes mellitus. They completed the "Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire" and SF-36 "Quality of Life Questionnaire". RESULTS: Participants demonstrated good adherence to diet and blood test / blood glucose test routines, but did not experience high levels of quality of life. The type of treatment affected the adherence to blood tests with a statistically significant difference (p=0,000). Also, marital status affected mental health with a statistically significant difference (p=0,032). The adherence sub scales are correlated with the all domains of quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: According to our findings, it is important to plan interventions to enhance adherence to other types of treatment and to help patients to further improve their quality of life.
