Psychosocial Well-being Of Patients Research Articles

P100 Observational survey of social isolation in older cancer patients

Ovarian cancer differs from many other cancer diagnoses due to its late diagnosis and high rates and frequencies of recurrences. The physical and psychosocial wellbeing of patients are well documented in the literature, however limited research exists specifically on their friends and family, or caregivers. The goal of this review was to examine the state of the literature on ovarian cancer caregivers.A scoping review was conducted on any articles describing caregivers of patients with ovarian cancer. Databases were searched systematically using key terms related to ovarian cancer and caregiving. Both authors screened articles for eligibility. Grey literature was also consulted.19 articles were identified after screening: nine quantitative, five qualitative, two mixed-methods, two case studies and a personal account. Quantitative studies were conducted over different time-points in the disease trajectory, whereas qualitative studies and the personal account spanned the whole trajectory. Collectively, the studies suggested that the experience of being a caregiver to patients with ovarian cancer changes overtime, as the first year post-diagnosis shows little compromise in wellbeing and quality of life, which then steadily declines throughout the rest of the disease trajectory. Studies commented on quality of life, distress, needs, social wellbeing, spirituality, relationships with healthcare providers, relationships with patients, physical health and financial wellbeing.This scoping review of the literature demonstrates little peer-reviewed evidence on the experiences and quality-of-life of ovarian cancer caregivers. This population experiences physical and psychosocial challenges that merit exploration, to subsequently aid in designing interventions.

Estratégias para comunicação de diagnóstico de HIV a parceiros sexuais e práticas de saúde

Disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners poses a challenge during healthcare provision, highlighting both the responsibility for controlling the epidemic and ensuring the patient's psychosocial well-being. This study's objective was to grasp the strategies used by health professionals for such disclosure. This is a qualitative study based on the discourse of health professionals and patients at specialized STD/AIDS clinics in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, using individual interviews and focus and educational groups. The strategies range from threatening to complicity, and the main focus is to minimize the stigma attached to individuals with HIV. It is believed that an active problem-solving approach to stigma in real situations in the clinic can provide a possible and practical path for dealing with such stigma, by creating argumentative repertoires, allowing the emergence of normative horizons that are technically, ethically, and politically relevant for integrating disclosure of the HIV diagnosis to the sexual partner and healthcare for persons with HIV.

Psychosocial well‐being of patients with skin diseases in general practice

Skin diseases are a substantial part of the problems dealt with by general practitioners. Although the psychosocial consequences of skin diseases in secondary care has been extensively studied, little is known about the psychosocial well-being of patients with skin diseases in primary care. To investigate the psychosocial well-being of patients with skin diseases in primary care. Questionnaires about the psychosocial consequences of skin diseases were sent to patients with a skin disease who were registered within a research network (continuous morbidity registration) of general practices that continuously have recorded morbidity data since 1971. Questionnaires completed by 532 patients were eventually suitable for analyses. Compared with the general population, patients with skin diseases reported significantly lower scores for psychosocial well-being. Furthermore, a lower psychosocial wellbeing was significantly related with higher levels of disease-severity, lower disease-related quality of life, longer disease duration, more comorbidity and more physical symptoms of itch, pain and fatigue. After demographic variables and comorbidity were controlled for, sequential regression analyses showed that disease duration, disease severity and physical symptoms (itch, pain and fatigue) were significant predictors of psychosocial well-being. The psychosocial well-being of patients with skin diseases in primary care is lower than that of the general population. Special attention has to be directed to those patients with lowered psychosocial well-being who might be at risk of developing severe psychosocial impairments such as clinical depression.

The physician–patient relationship before cancer treatment: a prospective longitudinal study

Objectives. To evaluate quality of life before surgery for genital cancer to determine risk factors that might influence the physician–patient relationship. Methods. From 1993 until 2003, 129 women with cervical cancer entered this prospective study. Patients were contacted 1 to 5 days before surgery by a psychologist or psychotherapeutically trained physician on the surgical ward. The semistructured interview included questions on the patient's psychosocial well-being according to criteria of the biographic interview technique. The preoperative anxiety level was evaluated by the STAI and quality of life by the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES) and EORTC questionnaires. Patients were assigned to groups undergoing pelvic exenteration ( n = 62) or Wertheim procedure ( n = 67). Results. The preoperative anxiety level did not correlate with the treatment modality. Women with a high anxiety level complained of a lack of information which correlated with a dissatisfaction concerning the physician–patient relationship ( r = 0.457, P = 0.001). Quality of life in terms of medical interaction and the need for information were indicated to be the most important aspects for cancer patients facing genital surgery. Conclusions. These data demonstrate the need for information strategies before surgery: first, to reduce anxiety by anticipating future quality of life outcome problems and, second, to improve medical interaction before stressful treatment options.

Health Care Professionals' Perceptions of Child Life Specialists

The hospital environment presents many stressors for ill children and their families. For this reason, the child life profession focuses on the psychosocial care of hospitalized children and their families. However, little is known about perceptions of the child life profession in the medical setting. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of child life specialists by members of the health care profession. Results indicated several discrepancies between child life professionals' perceptions of their responsibilities and other health care professionals' perceptions of child life responsibilities. Child life specialists were viewed as important for patient psychosocial well-being, although perceived as having little power in the health care team. Child life specialists can use this information to educate other professionals in the medical field about their responsibilities, including patient and family support, advocacy, and patient psychological preparation.

Post-treatment support for patients with haematological malignancies:findings from regional, rural and remote Queensland

Social support is a significant factor in the cancer patient's psychosocial wellbeing. This paper presents the findings of recent Queensland-based research that explored the experience of families returning home to the regional, rural and remote sector after a family member completed specialist treatment for a haematological malignancy and related blood disorder in a major metropolitan centre. Family and friends are the key resource persons providing support. To a large degree, this is because of the absence of alternative sources. Even support from health professionals can be problematic and for many the only source of support is the specialist centre many hundreds of kilometres away. The primary response to developing supportive services needs to be through person to person contact either via telephone or newsletter. If targeted appropriately, there is also evidence that educational programs, support groups and volunteers would be an effective medium for providing support. Educating the local health professionals (GPs and nurses) about haematological conditions is a logical extension of providing support to families.

Psychoimmunology and AIDS: a review of the literature

In recent years, several studies have been carried out concerning the effect of psychosocial factors on the course of infection due to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). After summarizing the current status of general knowledge in the field of psychoimmunology, this article reviews the results of studies conducted in regard to HIV. Two conclusions are reached. The first is that current research has not shown psychosocial factors to have any impact on either the immunity status of seropositive patients or the medical complications inherent to AIDS. The second conclusion is that several types of intervention, in particular psychoeducational approaches, stress management programs, and the strengthening of social and family support, give good results where the psychosocial well-being of patients is concerned and should motivate various health professionals to improve the focus of their interventions. Furthermore, significant methodological weaknesses in several indexed studies are noted, and these should be rectified to enable future studies to confirm or correct the present observations.

Attributions of Control, Experienced Meaning, and Psychosocial Well-being in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Despite the existence of aggressive symptom-management programs for late-stage adult cancer patients, few researchers have identified the critical targets for psychosocial support in that population. As a result, clinicians often must rely on global theories of support alone to guide their interactions with such patients. The resent study examined the effects of attributed control over one's health and experienced meaning of one's situation on anxiety and self-esteem in 57 adults with advanced cancer. Both attributed control and experienced meaning constitute potential targets for therapeutic interaction. The author hypothesized that (1) external attributions of control and higher levels of experienced meaning protect self-esteem and reduce anxiety and (2) when left unmediated by either externalized control or perceived meaning, the longer the experience with incurable cancer, the higher the level of anxiety and the lower the level of self-esteem. The extent to which the patients attributed meaning to their situation was a significant predictor of both higher self-esteem and lower anxiety. However, neither externalized control nor longer experience with cancer predicted levels of either anxiety or self-esteem. These results suggest that a sense of meaning in late-stage disease is an important focus for therapeutic exchange and thus deserves systematic attention in future studies.

Mental status outcomes following carotid endarterectomy: a six-month analysis.

Fifty-one male and two female patients were divided into the following three groups: (a) patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease who received carotid endarterectomies, (b) patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease who either declined or were not candidates for carotid endarterectomies, and (c) patients who received a surgical procedure unrelated to cerebral functioning. The three groups were not significantly different in terms of age or educational level. The subjects were examined using the WAIS, Wechsler Memory Scale, Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery, Sickness Impact Profile, and Profile of Mood States. The assessments were conducted presurgery and repeated at a 6 month follow-up. The results of two-way analyses of variance revealed a significant trials effect for a majority of the variables, including the average impairment rating and the full scale WAIS IQ. However, significant group x trials interactions were not found for either the neuropsychological measures or the quality of life indices. The results did not support the conclusion of improved mental status or increased psychosocial well-being in patients who received carotid endarterectomies.