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Spiritual well‐being of Italian advanced cancer patients in the home palliative care setting
Author(s) -
Martoni A. A.,
Varani S.,
Peghetti B.,
Roganti D.,
Volpicella E.,
Pannuti R.,
Pannuti F.
Publication year - 2017
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.12677
Subject(s) - medicine , palliative care , quality of life (healthcare) , meaning (existential) , cancer , spiritual care , scale (ratio) , family medicine , gerontology , nursing , spirituality , alternative medicine , psychotherapist , psychology , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics
This study evaluates the spiritual well‐being (SpWB) in very advanced cancer patients assisted by the home palliative care program of ANT Foundation, a no‐profit Italian organisation. SpWB was assessed by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well‐Being Scale (FACIT‐Sp12), including Meaning, Peace, and Faith subscales. The quality‐of‐life (QoL) was evaluated by using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General scale. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,055 patients and 683 were compiled and evaluable for analysis. The mean scores of FACIT‐Sp12 as well as of QoL were notably lower than reference values for cancer survivors. The FACIT‐Sp12 score was higher in patients with less impaired Karnofsky Performance Status, fully participating in religious rituals and living in central Italy. A high Pearson's correlation was found between QoL and FACIT‐Sp12 ( r = .60), Peace ( r = .71) and Meaning ( r = .52), while it was marginal for Faith ( r = .27). The hierarchical regression analysis showed that FACIT‐Sp12 is a significant predictor of QoL. The study suggests that Italian patients with advanced cancer assisted by expert multi‐professional teams in the home palliative care setting have a low level of SpWB thereby highlighting the need for the integration of spiritual support as part of comprehensive cancer care.