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Patients attitudes towards sleep disturbances during chemotherapy
Author(s) -
Romito F.,
Cormio C.,
De Padova S.,
Lorusso V.,
Berio M.A.,
Fimiani F.,
Piattelli A.,
Palazzo S.,
Abram G.,
Dudine L.,
Guglielmi A.,
Galise I.,
Romito S.,
Mattioli V.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
european journal of cancer care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1365-2354
pISSN - 0961-5423
DOI - 10.1111/ecc.12106
Subject(s) - medicine , anxiety , quality of life (healthcare) , distress , observational study , pittsburgh sleep quality index , depression (economics) , sleep disorder , sleep (system call) , physical therapy , hospital anxiety and depression scale , psychiatry , cancer , clinical psychology , sleep quality , insomnia , nursing , macroeconomics , computer science , economics , operating system
Sleep disturbances are among the most distressing symptoms in cancer: they often co‐occur with fatigue, pain and psychological distress. Despite the negative impact on quality of life, patients rarely seek help for managing their sleep disturbances. This paper presents the results of a multicentre observational study on patients' attitudes towards their sleep problems. The study also investigates symptom correlates. Patients responded to a semi‐structured interview and completed the following questionnaires: P ittsburgh S leep Q uality I ndex; B rief F atigue I nventory; H ospital A nxiety and D epression S cale; and E uropean O rganisation for R esearch and T reatment of C ancer ( EORTC ) Q uality of L ife QLQ ‐ C 30 Q uestionnaire ( QLQ ‐ C 30). Four hundred and three cancer patients were enrolled in the study. Bad sleepers constituted 66% of the sample. Thirty‐eight per cent of them had not turned to any professional to solve their sleep disturbances because they had various beliefs about the importance of the problem and the possibility to be treated. The main correlates of sleep disturbances were psychological distress, reduced physical functioning and reduced overall quality of life. In conclusion, there is a need to sensitise patients to actively search for a solution to their sleep disturbances so they can be solved along with other co‐occurring symptoms. Doctors could also be encouraged to dedicate more attention to routinely asking cancer patients about eventual sleep disturbances.