European journal of cancer care
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Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) · Mar 2007
Multicenter StudySpecial considerations for haematology patients in relation to end-of-life care: Australian findings.
Recent hematology clinical guidelines recommend that palliative care specialists should have central roles in hemato-oncology teams. However, the available research evidence indicates there are presently significant obstacles to the integration of palliative care in hematology. ⋯ This article presents the list of special considerations from a nursing perspective, including issues associated with the high-tech nature of treatments, the speed of change to a terminal event, the need for blood products and possibility of catastrophic bleeds, the therapeutic optimism based on a myriad of treatment options and the clinical indices of the terminal trajectory. The nursing insights provide an important foundation for building a practical, patient-centred model for terminal care in hematology.
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Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) · Mar 2007
ReviewFactors predicting the use of complementary and alternative therapies among cancer patients in Iran.
This study was carried out to examine the factors that predicting the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer patients in Tehran, Iran. Predicting factors included were patients' demographic characteristics, type of cancer, the knowledge of diagnosis, time since diagnosis, satisfaction with their care physician, fear of recurrence and measures of anxiety, depression and global quality of life. In total, 625 cancer patients were studied, and 35% (n=219) reported that they used or were using CAM. ⋯ The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the use of CAM among cancer patients was associated with the fear of cancer recurrence (OR=2.03, 95% CI=1.45-2.85, P<0.0001) and dissatisfaction with their care physician (OR=1.98, 95% CI=1.36-2.89, P<0.0001). The results indicate that apart from the prayer and spiritual healing, the use of the other common methods of CAM among Iranian cancer patients is unpopular. However, the findings suggest that the use of CAM is more common among cancer patients who suffer from fears, uncertainties and dissatisfaction, and these might be a marker of greater psychological distress in users as compared with non-users.
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Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) · Mar 2007
ReviewAnxiety, depression and quality of life of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy: a cross-sectional study in a community hospital outpatient centre.
The purpose of the present study is to determine the impact of illness characteristics and psychopathological comorbidity on the quality of life (QoL) of radio-oncological patients in health-related and individual dimensions. Sixty-three of 93 eligible patients (40 women and 23 men) were included in the study during their radiation therapy visit to an outpatient centre annexed to a community hospital in Southern Bavaria, Germany. In a semi-structured interview, we elicited individually relevant life domains rated by the patients according to the 'Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life - Direct Weighting'. ⋯ Psychopathological comorbidity has a considerable influence on QoL of patients undergoing radiotherapy. Measuring the individual QoL appears as an adapted needs assessment and helps the psychotherapist in focusing on the patient's problems and desires. Furthermore, the patient's QoL is a main target in providing or planning mental health care in non-university oncological services.
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Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) · Mar 2007
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyHospital stay frequency and duration of patients with advanced cancer diseases - differences between the most frequent tumour diagnoses: a secondary data analysis.
The differences in the number and duration of hospital stays of cancer patients in an advanced stage of disease were to be examined with regard to the most frequent cancer diagnoses. Therefore, routinely compiled data of the largest health insurance company in the State of Lower Saxony, Germany, were analysed. Patients with lung, colon, breast and prostate cancer were included, who died in the year of 2004. ⋯ The patient groups differed significantly both in the average number of cases and in the duration of hospital stays (Kruskal-Wallis test: P<0001), whereby patients with lung cancer underwent inpatient hospital treatment most frequently (3.3 times), and for the longest periods (35 days). This study shows that patients in an advanced stage of lung cancer are a particular important target group for reducing hospitalization at the end of life. They should receive special attention when structures of palliative care are extended.