Exploring the characteristics of dignity loss in patients with cancer in North China.

Abstract

e24132 Background: Patients with cancer experience different degrees of loss of dignity. Exploring the characteristics of dignity loss for patients with cancer is rare in China, but it is of great significance for patients and their families in the whole anti-cancer trajectory. Methods: Inpatients and outpatients with cancer from the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were enrolled in this study. The Patient Dignity Inventory(PDI) and EORTC Core Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used for measuring patients’ dignity loss and quality of life. Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the correlation factors of dignity loss, and the correlation among dignity loss, quality of life and its dimensions. Results: A total of 403 patients with cancers were included in this study. In terms of loss of dignity, 20 patients (4.96%) didn’t report loss of dignity, 295 patients (73.20%) had mild loss of dignity, 78 (19.35%) had moderate and 10(2.48%) had severe loss of dignity. The three most prevalent PDI problems of patients were “experiencing physically distressing symptoms”(146, 36.23%), “Feeling that I am a burden to others” (126，31.27%) and “worrying about future” (114, 28.29%) . Companionship(r = 0.167, P = 0.001), PS(r = 0.392, P < 0.001), diagnosis to investigation time (r = 0.107, P = 0.031), stage of disease (r = 0.279, P < 0.001), stage of treatment (r = 0.333, P < 0.001), surgery and recurrence (r = 0.158, P = 0.001), anxiety (r = 0.612, P < 0.001), depression (r = 0.603, P < 0.001), psychological distress (r = 0.453, P < 0.001), symptom burden (r = 0.421, P < 0.001) and impact on life (r = 0.450, P < 0.001) were positive correlated with loss of dignity. Age (r = -0.134, P = 0.007), occupation (r = -0.124, P = 0.013) were negative correlated with loss of dignity. Loss of dignity and quality of life are significant correlated with each other. Dignity existential distress showed moderate negative correlation with emotional function (r = -0.513, P < 0.001). Dignity symptom distress showed moderate negative correlation with emotional function (r = -0.675, P < 0.001) and social function (r = -0.515，P < 0.001). Dignity symptom distress showed moderate positive correlation with fatigue symptoms (r = 0.541, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Most cancer patients’ dignity were impaired slightly or moderately in North China. Dignity of cancer patients showed significant association with quality of life. Anxiety and depression were more consistent with dignity than other factors. Improving the quality of life and dignity of patients is vital.