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Breast cancer is a type of cancer affecting the health of women in many countries. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of breast cancer and its treatment procedures on the quality of life.

The study was carried out in Hacettepe University Oncology Hospital and The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire and Breast Cancer Module were used.

It was found that 29.8 per cent of the patients were in phase 4 of the disease, 86.8 per cent already had an operation while 84.1 per cent had chemotherapy. There were statistically significant differences between the levels of the life quality for pain dimension in the symptom scale, body image dimension in the module functional scale, sexual function dimension in the module functional scale, arm symptoms dimension in module symptom scale and age groups; the levels of life quality for dyspnoea dimension in the symptom scale, anorexia dimension of the symptom scale, financial difficulties dimension of the symptom scale and the duration of the disease; the levels of life quality for fatigue dimension in the symptom scale, diarrhea dimension in the symptom scale and the phase of the cancer; the levels of life quality for physical functionality dimension in the functional scale, constipation dimension in the symptom scale and receiving chemotherapy. In the light of the findings, attempts to improve health and creation of different behaviours are important for life quality.

This is original research that sheds light on life quality issues for women diagnosed with breast cancer.

This article aims to empirically illustrate the socially supportive role of cancer resource centers in their members' lives.

The authors employ the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the QLQ-C30 to investigate the relationships between social support and respondents' quality of life. The authors also draw on internal cancer resource center data.

The results show that the type of classes respondents engage in at the center, frequency of class/activity attendance, and member-to-member social support do not influence respondents' perceived quality of life. However, employee-to-member support does enhance a respondent's quality of life.

The study suggests that the activity programming at cancer resource centers is a conduit for the socially supportive relationships that form between and among employees and members. Given that the sample site was situated in a high-income, relatively stable suburban locale, the findings may not generalize to all locales.

The study helps inform medical practitioners about the social supportive benefits that cancer resource centers offer cancer patients. This article discusses a cancer center's Connect-to-Care program, which joins together an oncologist and a cancer center representative at a patient's initial cancer diagnosis.

Oncologists and people living with, or affected by, cancer need to be aware of the healing potential of cancer resource centers.

This article links the third-place paradigm with public health. Cancer resource centers emerge as third places where people living with cancer may obtain support from center employees, which enhances their quality of life.

Describes the physical status and quality of life in ambulatory oncologic patients seen at the Norwegian Radium Hospital (NRH) and assesses their satisfaction with the out‐patient service. During a two‐week period in 1993, 517 consecutive patients completed a qualify‐of‐life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ‐C30) during their out‐patient visit at the NRH. The results of the EORTC QLQ‐C30 were compared with those from a similar study performed in 1991 (211 patients evaluated during one week).

This paper aims to study the impact of combination Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Heriz I and Beta glucan on quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer (BC) patients receiving chemotherapy.

In all, 30 women with BC were enrolled in this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Intervention group received either daily one capsule of L. rhamnosus strain Heriz I (2 × 10⁷ CFU) and two 10-mg capsules of soluble1–3,1–6,D-beta glucan and the placebo group receiving placebo, interval between two courses of chemotherapy. Health-related QOL was evaluated at baseline and end of the trial using the EORTC QOL Questionnaire version.3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30).

The results showed that combination of L. rhamnosus Heriz I and Beta glucan supplementation in BC patients during chemotherapy improved functional scales score from 37.3 ± 12.1 to 39.8 ± 6.8 and this increase in comparison with placebo was significant after adjusting baseline value (p = 0.015). Changes in symptoms scores were not significant after intervention (p = 0.05) but the decreased score (66.1 ± 12.9 to 60.6 ± 9.4) was considerable clinically. As well as, changes in global health status/QOL score in intervention group in comparison with the placebo group was not significant (p = 0.93).

The findings suggest that combination of L. rhamnosus Heriz I and Beta glucan may be associated for improving functional scales and symptoms in patients with BC who underwent chemotherapy. To prove positive effect of supplements on other aspects of QOL, further studies are needed.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the health-related well-being of public sector expatriates paying particular attention to the family situation.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the entire staff of the German Foreign Service (GFS), resulting in a response rate of 35.5 percent (analytical sample n=1,390). Partnership status, childlessness, and experiences of partnership break-ups were analyzed by gender and by age. Using OLS regression, the authors examine how gender and individual perceptions of conflict between international relocation and family stability and formation contribute to subjective well-being.

The results show that females are significantly over-represented among GFS employees who experience partnership instability as well as among single and childless employees. Yet barriers to partnership and family formation appear to be increasing for younger cohorts of male employees.

Unstable families can jeopardize the well-being of employees highlighting that expatriates’ relationship and family needs are insufficiently met in high mobility contexts.

The focus on family formation challenges in non-corporate expatriation makes a novel contribution to the literature and practice of expatriate management, as the system-wide rotational staff mobility of public service institutions has received minor attention.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the value of health‐related quality of life (HR‐QOL) measurement and describe its development with a few examples.

The methodology is a literature review of various articles published in the last 25 years on health‐related quality of life.

HR‐QOL tools are health status instruments, which are utilized to assess the changes in the health status of patients. These surveys are of increasingly importance as healthcare providers are challenged to justify treatment approaches and rationale for any intervention. Objective criteria can be used to determine whether there is clinical evidence of disease. However, the impact of disease on the individual's life is not included in such a clinical assessment. The use of validated and reliable health instruments is directed at measuring this impact in a reproducible and valid fashion. In patient‐centred research, “experimental” conditions are constantly changing because human beings with values, feelings, perspectives and social relationships are being treated. It is especially important to use valid measurement tools when assessing these impacts.

This article is written from the authors' own experience and knowledge and adds those benefits to the literature already available.

Recent guidance from the United States Food and Drug Administration discusses patient-reported outcomes as endpoints in clinical trials (FDA, 2006). Using methods consistent with this guidance, we developed symptom indexes for patients with advanced cancer. Input on the most important symptoms was obtained from 533 patients recruited from National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) member institutions and four non-profit social service organizations. Diagnoses included the following 11 primary cancers: bladder, brain, breast, colorectal, head/neck, hepatobiliary/pancreatic, kidney, lung, lymphoma, ovarian and prostate. Physician experts in each of 11 diseases were also surveyed to differentiate symptoms that were predominantly disease-based from those that were predominantly treatment-induced. Results were evaluated alongside previously published indexes for 9 of these 11 advanced cancers that were created based on expert provider surveys, also at NCCN institutions (Cella et al., 2003). The final results are 11 symptom indexes that reflect the highest priorities of people affected by these 11 advanced cancers and the experienced perspective of the people who provide their medical treatment. Beyond the clinical value of such indexes, they may also contribute significantly to satisfying regulatory requirements for a standardized tool to evaluate drug efficacy with respect to symptomatology.

The aim of the paper is to compare the computer administration method (touch‐screen) with the original paper‐and‐pen approach when measuring patients' perceptions of care quality.

The study group consisted of 199 patients who responded to touch‐screen and 219 who responded to paper‐and‐pen questionnaires, receiving care between January and March 2003 at two out‐patient clinics in one county in Sweden. The response rate was 75 per cent. A modified version of the quality from the patient's perspective questionnaire was used.

Two main findings emerged: first, both methods yielded almost identical results in quality of care ratings, and second, the touch‐screen method was perceived to be easier to use and to take less time to complete.

The paper shows that both methods are acceptable, but the touch‐screen method appears to be preferred by patients.

Until now, it is not clear whether there are differences in patient perception between multi-bedded rooms with two and four beds. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the physical (i.e. room type) and psychosocial (i.e. kindness of roommates and extraversion) aspects on the patients’ experience (i.e. pleasantness of the room, anxiety, sleep quality) in multi-bedded rooms in an oncology ward.

A group of 84 hospitalized oncology patients completed a questionnaire on the day of departure. Room types were categorized into two groups: two-person and four-person rooms.

Multivariate logistic regression analyses with the minimum Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) showed no direct main effects of room type (two vs. four-person room), kindness of roommates and extraversion on pleasantness of the room, anxiety and sleep quality. However, the authors found an interaction effect between room type and extraversion on pleasantness of the room. Patients who score relatively high in extraversion rated the room as more pleasant when they stayed in a four-person rather than a two-person room. For patients relatively low in extraversion, room type was not related to pleasantness of the room.

The findings allow hospitals to better understand individual differences in patient experiences. Hospitals should inform patients about the benefits of the different room types and potential influences of personality (extraversion) so patients are empowered and can benefit from autonomy and the most appropriate place.

This study emphasizes the importance of including four-person rooms in an oncology ward, while new hospital facility layouts mainly include single-bed rooms.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients can suffer from long-term transplant-related complications that affect their quality of life and daily activities. This study, a narrative review, aims to report the impact of HCT complications, the benefits of rehabilitation intervention, the need for long-term care and highlights the research gap in clinical trials involving rehabilitation.

A comprehensive search strategy was performed on several databases to look for relevant articles published from 1998 to 2018. Articles published in English with the following terms were used: hematopoietic stem cell transplant, chronic graft-versus-host disease, rehabilitation, exercise, physical therapy, occupational therapy. A patient/population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes (PICO) framework was employed to ensure that the search strategies were structured and precise. Study year, design, outcome, intervention, sample demographics, setting and study results were extracted.

Of the 1,411 records identified, 51 studies underwent title/abstract screening for appropriateness, 30 were reviewed in full, and 19 studies were included in the review. The review found that, for the majority of patients who underwent HSCT and developed treatment-related complications, rehabilitation exercises had a positive impact on their overall quality of life. However, exercise prescription in this patient group has not always reflected the scientific approach; there is a lack of high-quality clinical trials in general. The review also highlights the need to educate healthcare policymakers and insurance companies responsible for rationing services to recognise the importance of offering long-term follow-up care for this patient group, including rehabilitation services.

A large number of HSCT patients require long-term follow-up from a multidisciplinary team, including rehabilitation specialists. It is important for healthcare policymakers and insurance companies to recognise this need and take the necessary steps to ensure that HSCT patients receive adequate long-term care. This paper also highlights the urgent need for high-quality rehabilitation trials to demonstrate the feasibility and importance of rehabilitation teams.

Healthcare policymakers and insurance companies need to recognise that transplant patients need ongoing physiotherapy for early identification of any functional impairments and appropriate timely intervention.