Author
Listed:
- Sue‐Yueh Cheng
- Yeur‐Hur Lai
- Shu‐Ching Chen
- Shiow‐Ching Shun
- Yuan‐Mei Liao
- Shih‐Hsin Tu
- Ching‐Shyang Chen
- Chao‐Ying Hsiang
- Ching‐Min Chen
Abstract
Aim. To examine changes in quality of life among patients with breast cancer and factors related to it, during the first three months after diagnosis. Background. Numerous studies have examined quality of life among cancer survivors or among patients with cancer after aggressive treatment; such research has demonstrated that quality of life in the third month after surgery can significantly predict quality of life in the long run. In contrast, changes in quality of life causes among patients during the acute treatment phase have not been well studied. Design. Prospective longitudinal study. Methods. Newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer were recruited during 2008–2009. Sixty‐one cases completed the four data collections on the day before operation and one, two and three months after surgery. Data were collected using the Functional Living Index‐Cancer, Symptom Distress Scale, the Self‐Efficacy Scale and a 0–10 Anxiety Numeric Rating Scale. Generalized Estimating Equations were applied for data analysis. Results. There were significant changes in quality of life over the three months following surgery, and the worst quality of life was observed in the first month after surgery. Less advanced stages of cancer, lower anxiety, less symptom distress and higher perceived self‐efficacy in the preoperative interview could significantly predict which patients experienced more positive quality of life trends. Fatigue, limited shoulder function and perceived poor appearance were the most significant factors predicting changes of quality of life. Conclusion. Preoperative physical and psychological factors, as well as sense of self‐efficacy for managing the cancer, are important factors for predicting changes in patients’ quality of life. Relevance to clinical practice. Healthcare providers should be alert to factors contributing to changes of quality of life among patients receiving chemotherapy. Interventions based on these results should be developed and their effectiveness tested for their impact on breast cancer patients’ quality of life. Clinical interventions based on these results should be developed to improve breast cancer patients’ quality of life.
Suggested Citation
Sue‐Yueh Cheng & Yeur‐Hur Lai & Shu‐Ching Chen & Shiow‐Ching Shun & Yuan‐Mei Liao & Shih‐Hsin Tu & Ching‐Shyang Chen & Chao‐Ying Hsiang & Ching‐Min Chen, 2012.
"Changes in quality of life among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in Taiwan,"
Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(1‐2), pages 70-79, January.
Handle:
RePEc:wly:jocnur:v:21:y:2012:i:1-2:p:70-79
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03735.x
Download full text from publisher
Corrections
All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:jocnur:v:21:y:2012:i:1-2:p:70-79. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2702 .
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through
the various RePEc services.