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Significant improvement in quality of life of patients with incurable cancer after designation to a palliative homecare team
Author(s) -
MELINJOHANSSON C.,
AXELSSON B.,
GASTONJOHANSSON F.,
DANIELSON E.
Publication year - 2010
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/j.1365-2354.2008.01017.x
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , palliative care , mood , nausea , anxiety , attrition , depression (economics) , depressed mood , physical therapy , gerontology , nursing , psychiatry , economics , macroeconomics , dentistry
MELIN‐JOHANSSON C., AXELSSON B., GASTON‐JOHANSSON F. & DANIELSON E. (2010) European Journal of Cancer Care 19 , 243–250
Significant improvement in quality of life of patients with incurable cancer after designation to a palliative homecare team The aims of this study were to describe and compare quality of life before and after designation to a palliative homecare team in patients with different cancer diagnoses and to identify pre‐designation predictors of post‐designation global quality of life. We measured patients’ quality of life 1 week before designation and 11 days (median time) after with the Assessment of Quality of life at the End of Life (Axelsson & Sjödén 1999). Of 163 eligible patients 63 participated without attrition. Patients’ quality of life improved in the physical, psychological, medical and global areas. Six items significantly improved: hours recumbent during the day ( P = 0.009), nausea ( P = 0.008), anxiety ( P = 0.007), getting hold of staff ( P = 0.000), received care ( P = 0.003) and global quality of life ( P = 0.023). Depression/low in mood ( r = 0.55) and meaningfulness ( r = 0.70) associated to global quality of life. Furthermore, pain ( P = 0.028) and meaningfulness ( P = 0.028) predicted global quality of life. In the existential area, it is important to further explore how meaningfulness is associated to and predicts global quality of life.