Predictive Factors Of Quality Research Articles

Sleep quality and its association with health-related quality of life of patients on lung transplantation waitlist in Japan.

Poor quality of sleep is a common feature in patients with various lung diseases and affects their health-related quality of life (HRQL). We evaluated sleep quality and HRQL in patients on the waitlist for lung transplantation in Japan. In this prospective study, patient-reported and physiological data were collected from patients newly registered on the waitlist for lung transplantation in Japan. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and HRQL using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). The frequency of poor sleep quality, correlations between sleep quality and various clinical parameters, and predictive factors of sleep quality were examined. Of 193 patients, the three most-frequent indications for lung transplantation were interstitial pneumonia (n = 96), pulmonary complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (n = 25), and pulmonary hypertension (n = 17). Poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) was observed in 102 patients (53%) and was significantly associated with worse Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS), worse SGRQ score, worse modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea score, and shorter 6-min walk distance. However, it was not associated with sex, pulmonary function, interstitial pneumonia, or arterial blood gas. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that poor sleep quality was explained significantly by HADS anxiety (23%) and SGRQ Symptoms (10%). Poor sleep quality was found to be common among patients on the lung transplantation waitlist in Japan. The two most significant factors responsible for impaired sleep quality were anxiety and respiratory symptoms. Additional care should be taken to ensuring a better quality of sleep for such patients.

Predictive factors of quality of life among systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Thailand: a web-based cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to assess mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) and explore factors associated with the disease-specific quality of life among Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients in Thailand. This cross-sectional study used an online convenience sampling of 650 SLE patients who were registered members of the Thailand SLE Club. The study survey comprised of demographic information, health history, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS), and Lupus Quality of Life Scale (LupusQoL). The survey response rate was 61.2%. Out of 344 respondents, most were female (96.9%). The scores were suggestive of the presence of mild depression and stress, but moderate anxiety. The higher depression, anxiety, and stress levels were associated with lower education and income (r = - .14 to - .29, p < .01) and higher number of SLE symptoms (r = .17 to .33, p < .05). Better quality of life was significantly related to lower number of symptoms, lower levels of stress/anxiety/depression, higher education, and better income. Also, the longer the patients were kept out of the hospital (last hospitalization), the better their quality of life. By using hierarchical multiple regression, four predictors of the quality of life were identified; the number of symptoms, stress, anxiety, and depression. These predictors combined explained 51% of the variance, F(5,108) = 24.34, p < .001, adjusted R2 = .51. To improve the quality of life, SLE patients should focus on self-management of their symptoms. Health care providers should include SLE self-care health education in the plan of care. They also should use multidisciplinary approach in order to provide holistic treatment, including psychological care.

P171 Factors determining sleep quality in SLE

Abstract Background Poor sleep quality is common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and could contribute to fatigue, which is regarded as one of the most disabling symptoms in SLE. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) is a validated self-administered questionnaire that measures sleep quality over the previous month. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship of sleep quality, measured by PSQI, with several variables including depression, anxiety, pain, disease activity, fatigue and functional disability in patients with SLE. A further aim was to establish the prevalence of poor sleep quality in SLE. Methods A cohort cross-sectional study was carried out including 92 SLE patients who fulfilled the SLICC classification criteria for SLE and who provided informed consent for participation. The patients were interviewed, and they were asked to fill in questionnaires including PSQI, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ). Blood and urine tests enabled the calculation of SLE disease activity index-2K (SLEDAI-2K). The study was approved by the University Research Ethics Committee. Results 92.4% of the cohort studied were females, and the mean age was 46.9 years (range 19-79 years). 55.4% were noted to have poor quality sleep (PSQI &amp;gt;5), and the median PSQI was 6 (range 0-18). Sleep quality measured by PSQI, had a significant correlation with SLEDAI-2K (R = 0.254, p = 0.014), VAS pain (R = 0.515, p &amp;lt; 0.001), HADS-D (R = 0.605, p &amp;lt; 0.001), HADS-A (R = 0.375, p &amp;lt; 0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (R=-0.211, p = 0.044), FSS (R = 0.551, p &amp;lt; 0.001) and mHAQ (R = 0.559, p &amp;lt; 0.001). ANCOVA analysis showed that PSQI was significantly dependant on VAS pain (p &amp;lt; 0.001), HADS-D (p &amp;lt; 0.001) and eGFR (p = 0.003). Conclusion Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent in SLE patients. This study has shown that the strongest predictive factors for poor sleep quality are pain, depression and impaired renal function. Since poor sleep quality is significantly related to fatigue and functional disability, its identification and management is important for patients’ wellbeing. Disclosures R. Magro None. L. Camilleri None. A.A. Borg None.

Prior Surgery Negatively Affects Cell Culture Identity in Patients Undergoing Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation

Background: Recently, a cell identity assay has been introduced to evaluate the identity of cultured chondrocytes before autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), which was shown to be associated with graft survival after ACI. Purpose: To identify the influence of several patient- and lesion-specific factors on cell identity and viability assays. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 187 patients with second-generation ACI were included in this study. Patient and lesion characteristics, cell viability, cell identity, and biopsy specimen weight were recorded for each patient. A binomial logistic regression model was utilized to determine patient-specific predictive factors for cell product quality. Results: The implanted ACI cell products showed a cell viability of 93% ± 2.4% (mean ± SD; range, 84-98) with an identity score of 5.8 ± 2.1 (range, –0.08 to 9.46). Patients with multiple previous surgical procedures on the index knee had significantly lower cell identity scores when compared with patients without previous surgery (odds ratio = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.16-0.59; P < .001). Patients without surgical history had significantly higher cell identity scores than patients with 1 and ≥2 previous surgical procedures on the index knee (6.32 vs 5.32 vs 5.05; P = .006 and P < .001, respectively). Cell viability was not predicted by any preoperative variable (P > .05). Cell identity and viability were not associated with each other or with biopsy specimen weight (P > .05). Conclusion: Cartilage biopsy specimens from patients with ≥1 previous surgical procedures resulted in implants with lower cell identity scores when compared with patients without previous operations. None of the other patient- or lesion-specific factors were correlated, specifically biopsy specimen weight.

Trends and determinants of quality of life and self-rated health in the course of medical education among medical students

The aim of this study is to determine the change in the self-rated health and quality of life of students of a school of medicine during the course of their education and the predictive factors of health and quality of life such as socioeconomic factors, health status and healthy lifestyle, social relationships and social support, and academic burden. The study is a cross-sectional study that aimed to reach the entire registered students of Manisa Celal Bayar University School of Medicine in 2016-2017. Dependent variables in this study are the overall quality of life, self-rated health and annual self- rated health transition About 10.1% of the students stated their overall quality of life as poor or very poor whereas nearly 10.9% were dissatisfied about their health and 20.3 % of them stated their current health as worse than the previous year. There is a linear trend in a year in medical school in terms of quality of life. The logistic regression Model suggested that having a non-depressed mood is the best predictor of a better quality of life. Lower BMI, being healthy, taking care of their health and having a nuclear family are found the most important variables that affect self-rated health positively. The final term students (interns) perceived the worse overall quality of life than the first and second-year students. Additionally, the majority of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th term students reported their health worse than the previous year. These facts in self-rated health and QOL may be regarded as pieces of evidence that may lead the university authorities to take measures especially in clinical terms of medical education.

EncephalApp Stroop App predicts poor sleep quality in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy due to hepatitis B-induced liver cirrhosis.

Background/Aim:A novel computerised Stroop test- EncephalApp Stroop App (EncephalApp) has good diagnostic validity for minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in cirrhotic patients. The Stroop test is correlated with sleep disturbances which are common, and severely affects health-related quality of life in cirrhotic patients with MHE. We evaluated the relationship between sleep quality and EncephalApp results in patients with MHE due to hepatitis B-induced liver cirrhosis.Patients and Methods:We enrolled 180 adult patients with hepatitis B-induced cirrhosis. All patients were tested using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and EncephalApp. We analysed the diagnostic validity of EncephalApp for MHE using PHES as the gold standard for reference. The sleep quality of included patients was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The predictive factors for poor sleep quality were analysed using backwards conditional stepwise logistic regression analysis.Results:Ninety-eight patients (54.4%) were diagnosed with MHE by PHES. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the threshold value of EncephalApp for MHE diagnosis was 225.60 s. EncephalApp showed 85.2% sensitivity and 77.3% specificity for diagnosing MHE; the area under the ROC curve was 0.864. PSQI scores of cirrhotic patients with MHE were significantly lower than those without MHE (P < 0.05). Child Turcotte Pugh grades (Odds ratio [OR] = 2.11 [1.55–2.85], P < 0.01) and the total Off-time plus On-time of EncephalApp (OR = 4.14 [1.95–6.29], P < 0.01) were independent predictors of poor sleep quality in MHE patients.Conclusions:The total Off-time plus On-time of EncephalApp predicts poor sleep quality in patients with MHE due to hepatitis B-induced cirrhosis.

Quality of life and subjective burden of primary dementia caregivers in Bangkok, Thailand.

To study and compare factors correlated with quality of life and subjective burden of primary dementia caregivers at the Psychiatric Outpatient Unit of Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. One hundred and fifty-five dementia caregivers were enrolled from September 2015 to May 2016. A set of general information questionnaires, the Pictorial Thai Quality of Life (PTQL) and the Thai version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were used to collect general information, quality of life and subjective burden data. Factors correlated with quality of life and subjective burden were analyzed by Chi-square test. Multiple regression analysis was used to define factors predictive of the caregivers' quality of life. Forty percent of the participants assessed themselves as having burden. Positive predictive factors of the caregivers' quality of life included high education, income, satisfaction towards psychiatric care and having jobs. Female gender, having financial problems, sickness, long caregiving hours per day, burden from taking care of other dependents, and subjective burden (p < 0.05) were negative predictive factors of dementia caregivers' quality of life. The primary dementia caregivers' quality of life was correlated with their subjective burden, socioeconomic status and caregiving experiences. It is crucial to promote confidence in caregiving, perceived social support and positive satisfaction towards mental health care for dementia caregivers.

Factors predicted with quality of life among hemodialysis patients in private hospital of Thailand

ABSTRACTBackground: The quality of life (QOL) among the end-stage renal disease patients is an essential component for assessing the success of treatment. This study aimed to determine the factors predicted with quality of life among hemodialysis patients in private hospital of Thailand.Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing 188 Thai patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), who were on hemodialysis (HD) at Sanamchan Hospital Bangkok. Patients with stable hemodynamic status without any history of mental illness were included in this study. However, those who could not properly communicate were excluded. The descriptive statistics and the multiple linear regression were applied to identify the predictive factors of quality of life (QOL) scores in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). The QoL was assessed in three components including kidney disease component score (KDCS) physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS).Findings: More than half of the participants (57%) in this research were male and (44%) were unemployed. The mean average systolic value of the participants was 157 (25.12 SD) mmHg and the diastolic blood pressure was 81 (5.85 SD) mmHg. Average hematocrit (Hct) was 30.95 (4.38 SD), Kt/v was 1.86 (0.96 SD), and average normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR) was 1.12 (1.09 SD). The age, income, patients with more than three associated diseases, enough expenses for living, frequency of dialysis per week, and duration of treatment was statistically significant with the kidney disease component score (KDCS) (F = 6.28, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the age, income, patients with more than three associated diseases, hematocrit (Hct) and frequency of dialysis per week were the statistically significant with the physical component score (PCS) (F = 4.99, p < 0.05) while patients with more than three associated diseases and enough expenses for living were the statistically significant with the mental component score (MCS) (F = 3.30, p ≤ 0.05).Conclusion: Study concluded that the factors like; age, expenses for living, frequency of dialysis, patients with more than three associated diseases were had a positive impact on the quality of life among the end-stage renal disease patients coming for dialysis in private hospital of Thailand.

Predictive factors of quality of life in acquired brain injury

Background/ObjectiveThe sequelae and the disability and dependence that follow an acquired brain injury (ABI) may result in a significant reduction in the quality of life (QoL) of those affected. The objective was to assess the QoL of a sample of Spanish patients with an ABI and analyze the influence of certain sociodemographic and injury-related variables on their QoL. Method: The sample comprised 421 adults (60% male; Mage = 53.12; SD = 14.87). Professionals and relatives assessed the patients’ QoL through the CAVIDACE scale, an ABI-specific tool based on the eight-domain QoL model. Results: Univariate analyses showed statistically significant differences in the QoL scores in several sociodemographic (age, civil status, education level, prior employment status, type of home, level of supports, loss of legal capacity, recognized dependence, and degree of dependence) and injury-related (time since the injury, location of the injury, and presence of post-traumatic amnesia) variables. The multiple linear regression showed that loss of legal capacity, time since the injury, prior employment status, location of the injury, and degree of dependence were significant QoL predictors. Conclusions: These findings provide knowledge for the development of programs aimed at reducing the negative impact of ABI on QoL.

Exploring Sleep Quality, Spiritual Health, and Related Factors in Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit

Nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) care for critically ill and dying patients. The stressful nature of the work performed by these nurses may affect their spiritual health and sleep quality. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the sleep quality, spiritual health, and related factors in a sample of ICU nurses. A cross-sectional correlational design with stratified random sampling was applied. A total of 170 clinical nurses were recruited from the ICUs of a medical center in northern Taiwan. A demographic characteristics questionnaire, the spiritual health scale-short form, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used for data collection. The average PSQI score was 7.07, with 62.9% of the participants reporting poor sleep quality. A significantly negative correlation was identified between the spiritual-health-scale item "connections to others" and the PSQI. "Connections to others", "chronic diseases", and "menstrual cycle discomfort" were the important predictive factors of sleep quality in the ICU nurses in this study. The findings of this study support nurses engaging in regular exercise that is both low-intensity and not subject to time or space restrictions in order to help prevent chronic diseases and relieve dysmenorrhea. Furthermore, education and training related to spiritual health should be incorporated into the whole-person education curriculum in order to enhance spiritual status and improve sleep quality.

Factores predictores de la calidad del sueño en pacientes con migraña crónica

IntroductionOne of the factors contributing to transformation of migraine are sleep disorders, which can act as a trigger and/or perpetuating factor in these patients. This study's primary objective was to identify predictive factors related to sleep quality in patients with chronic migraine (CM); the secondary objective was to identify any differences in psychological variables and disability between patients with CM with better or poorer sleep quality. MethodsA total of 50 patients with CM were included in an observational, cross-sectional study. We recorded data on demographic, psychological, and disability variables using self-administered questionnaires. ResultsA direct, moderate-to-strong correlation was observed between the different disability and psychological variables analysed (P<.05). Regression analysis identified depressive symptoms, headache-related disability, and pain catastrophising as predictors of sleep quality; together, these factors explain 33% of the variance. Statistically significant differences were found between patients with better and poorer sleep quality for depressive symptoms (P=.016) and pain catastrophising (P=.036). ConclusionsThe predictive factors for sleep quality in patients with CM were depressive symptoms, headache-related disability, and pain catastrophising. Patients with poorer sleep quality had higher levels of pain catastrophising and depressive symptoms.

594 - Predictive factors of postoperative quality of life, erectile function and continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: A multicentre study

594 - Predictive factors of postoperative quality of life, erectile function and continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: A multicentre study

Evolution and predictive factors of quality of life in patients undergoing oncologic surgery for head and neck cancer: A prospective multicentric study

ObjectivesThe purposes of this study were to assess the evolution of quality of life (QoL) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) undergoing oncologic surgery and to determine the predictive factors of post-therapeutic QoL. MethodsAll HNSCC patients who underwent primary surgery, between 2012 and 2014, were enrolled in this prospective multicentric study. Patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires before surgery and at 6 months after treatment. Predictive factors of post-therapeutic QoL scores were determined. ResultsA total of 200 patients were included in this study. There was no significant deterioration of global QoL and no significant increase in general symptoms between the pre- and post-therapeutic periods, but a significant deterioration in role and social functioning, and an increase of most head and neck symptoms. Tumor stage, tumor site and treatment modalities (type of surgery, adjuvant therapy) were the main predictors of QoL scores. We found a negative correlation between satisfaction with the information received and global QoL score or several functioning scales. ConclusionHNSCC surgical treatment affects patients QoL mainly by increasing head and neck symptoms, which results in social and role functioning deterioration. These results are of great interest to improve multidisciplinary care of HNSCC patients.

The Relationship of Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs Consumption on the Quality of Semen Parameters in Males referring to the Infertility Center of Yazd in 2016

Introduction: Male infertility has increased during recent years in countries of the world including Iran. Among many factors that influence the infertility, smoking, alcohol, and addictive drugs were investigated in this study. Methods: This case-control retrospective study was conducted on 600 male patients consisting of 300 individuals with natural semen and 300 people with defective semen. The first step in investigation of infertility in each couple was to conduct a spermogram to detect the male infertility. The case group included men who referred to the Yazd Infertility Treatment Center and had at least one abnormal test result among considering the parameters of semen test. The control group included the men who referred to the same center and had normal semen test result. The data collection tools were a researcher-made checklist based on the parameters required for the study with epidemiological and observational design, as well as the semen analysis test. Results: The age mean in the case and control groups were 34.71 and 33.82 years with the standard deviation of ± 7.3 and ± 6.41, respectively. The means of marriage age in the case and control groups were 26.28 and 26.28 ±5.3 years, respectively. The mean duration of infertility in the case group was 6.30 ± 4.60 and in the control group was 5.15± 3.88. No significant difference was observed between the mean age (P = 0.084) and marital age (P = 0.448) in two groups, but the mean duration of infertility (P &lt;0.001) was significantly different between the two groups .The prevalence of smoking was significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.032). Considering the daily frequency of smoking, the highest rate was 11-20 cigarettes in both groups (case group 21.7% and control group 15.3%). The P value was set at 0.018. Conclusion: In this study, smoking and consumption of alcohol were not considered as the predictive factors of semen quality, but consumption of drugs and the age of starting consumption of drugs had a significant relationship with the semen disorders.

Effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation on health-related quality of life in older adults with multimorbidity

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine the effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation on health-related quality of life in older adults with multimorbidity and to evaluate the predictive factors for postoperative quality of life impairment in such patients. Material and methodThis study included 141 older adults with severe aortic stenosis scheduled for elective transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Quality of life was examined in all patients using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire, before and 2 years after surgery. Comorbidity was assessed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index. ResultsIn older adult patients with aortic stenosis and multimorbidity, transcatheter aortic valve implantation significantly improved both physical and mental components of quality of life 2 years after surgery. A Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥5 points was independently associated with the absence of positive dynamics in Physical Health score [odds ratio (OR) 0.38 (0.20–0.75), p = 0.007]. Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥5 points [OR 0.31 (0.19–0.58), p = 0.026] and new-onset arrhythmia [OR 0.54 (0.38–0.78), p = 0.017] were independent predictors of the absence of positive dynamics in Mental Health score after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. ConclusionsHigh-level comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥5 points) predicts both Physical and Mental Health scores for quality of life impairment following transcatheter aortic valve implantation in older adults, and new-onset arrhythmia predicts the Mental Health score for quality of life impairment following transcatheter aortic valve implantation in these patients.

An Evaluation of Factors Predicting Diet Quality among Cancer Patients

A high diet quality is associated with a lower risk of cancer mortality. However, the predictive factors of diet quality among cancer patients are not well understood. This study determines the socio-demographic and disease-related factors that affect diet quality among cancer patients. Two hundred and forty-two cancer patients completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI). Independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA with post-hoc analysis using the Tukey HSD test were used to compare mean HEI scores across these characteristics. A regression model was used to determine factors that predicted diet quality. The overall HEI score among cancer patients was 61.59 (SD = 11.67). Patients with a high school degree or General Education Diploma (GED) or less had lower HEI scores (β = −4.03, p = 0.04; β = −7.77, p = 0.001, respectively) compared to those with college degrees. Additionally, homemakers had significantly higher HEI scores (β = 7.95, p = 0.008) compared to those who worked at least 40 hours per week. Also, individuals with some types of cancers (e.g., endometrial or uterine) had significantly higher HEI scores (β = 12.56, p = 0.002) than those with other cancers (e.g., head and neck). Our findings will help oncology healthcare providers identify and target cancer patients with specific demographic characteristics who are at increased risk for consuming poor-quality diets with much needed food resource interventions.

Associated and predictive factors of quality of life in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

ObjectiveIdentifying the factors that are correlated with and predictive of reduced quality of life (QOL) is essential to optimize the treatment of epilepsy and the management of comorbidities. MethodsWe analyzed the independent associations between the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) inventory and the demographic, clinical, psychiatric, and cognitive variables of 47 consecutive patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Predictors of the correlated variables were analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. ResultsThe QOLIE-31 total score was positively correlated with occupational status and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (r = 0.290 and 0.295, respectively; P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the duration of seizures, adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores (r = −0.357, 0.321, 0.328, −0.672, and −0.565, respectively; P < 0.05; P < 0.01 for the SAS and SDS). In the final multivariate regression model, anxiety, long durations of seizures, adverse effects of AEDs, and depression explained approximately 60.6% (adjusted R2 = 0.606, R coefficient = 0.800) of the QOLIE-31 overall score variance. ConclusionAnxiety, long durations of seizures, adverse effects of AEDs, and depression were significant predictors of QOL, and these variables had relatively high prediction capacities for the overall QOLIE-31 in the regression model. Comorbid anxiety is the most powerful negative determinant of the QOLIE-31.

Predictive Factors for Quality of Life and Impact of Physical Activity in Korean Breast Cancer Survivors

Predictive Factors for Quality of Life and Impact of Physical Activity in Korean Breast Cancer Survivors

Predictive factors of daily opioid use and quality of life in adults with sickle cell disease

ABSTRACTObjectives: In adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), pain often necessitates opioid use. Few studies have examined the relationship between opioid use and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adults with SCD. We tested the hypothesis that higher doses of opioids are associated with worse HRQOL.Methods: A cross-sectional cohort study was performed in adults with SCD who completed standardized and validated HRQOL questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Medical Outcome Study 36 Item Short Form (SF-36), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7). Daily outpatient opioid dose was converted into morphine milligram equivalents (MME) and categorized as < 90 mg/day or ≥ 90 mg/day. Subject's questionnaire scores were compared by opioid dose.Results: Ninety-nine adults completed questionnaires. The majority had HbSS and median age was 30 years. The median MME was 80 mg/day. When the association between HRQOL and opioid dose was compared, those prescribed ≥ 90 MME had significantly lower SF-36 subscale scores in 7 of 8 domains, and significantly higher severity scores in the PHQ-15, GAD-7, and the PHQ-9 in comparison those prescribed < 90 MME. Using a multivariable regression tree analysis, in addition to the presence of chronic pain, mental health, physical health, and somatic burden were key predictors of ≥ 90 MME opioid use.Conclusion: Higher daily opioid dose is associated with chronic pain. Among those with chronic pain, opioid dose ≥ 90 MME is associated with worse HRQOL.

Predictive factors of life quality among packaging workers in Taiwan.

The semiconductor plants on the top of high-tech industrial chain hire many packaging workers to carry out miscellaneous packing tasks for various product orders from different companies and countries. Under tremendous workload the quality of life (QoL) of such packaging workers need to be concerned. The aim of this study was to explore factors influencing their QoL. This study recruited 247 packing workers (162 male and 85 female; mean age: 35.6 years old) in 2015 and 2016 from a semiconductor plant in Taiwan by convenience sampling. The questionnaire comprised four parts: demographics, the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), an occupational burnout inventory and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF were defined as outcome variables. Predictive factors included gender (reference: male), age (reference: ≤ 35), BMI (reference: ≤ 25), educational level (reference: below university), marital/partner status (reference: married/cohabiting), years of work (reference: ≤ 5), work shift (reference: day shift), personal burnout, work-related burnout, over-commitment to work and the number of body parts with discomfort (0-9). The findings showed that physical QoL was negatively correlated with night -shift work, personal burnout, and number of body parts with discomfort. Psychological QoL was negatively correlated with night shift work and personal burnout. Environment QoL was negatively correlated with being male, night shift work and personal burnout. The results showed that the QoL among the packaging workers could be improved by reducing musculoskeletal discomfort, personal burnout and by improving work schedules.