Malee Ngamprasert. Quality of life in post treatment cervical cancer patients : a causal model. Doctoral Degree(Nursing). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2017.
Quality of life in post treatment cervical cancer patients : a causal model
Abstract:
The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationships between palliative care dimensional factors (model of care, provider competence, provider support) and patient dimensional factors (age, stage, radiotherapy, comorbidity, social support, self-management) on the quality of life of cervical cancer patients. Participants were 447 cervical cancer patients and 16 healthcare providers from various levels of 12 cancer center hospitals in Thailand, using two-stage sampling and structural analysis. The study indicated that more than 50% of cervical cancer patients had a low general quality of life. More than half of the patients have problems with the physical, role, emotional and social functioning due to the urinary symptoms and the vaginal symptoms. The symptoms that patients had experienced before and during cervical cancer treatment made the patients, as a woman, anxious about sexual health including the role and the responsibility toward oneself, family, and society. Structural equation model analysis showed that the services of physicians and nurses in multidisciplinary, specialists, and generalist model of care did not improve the quality of life of the patients because the healthcare providers had low competencies in palliative care, and the care they provided did not respond to the patient's needs concerning a woman's role and responsibility. The best ways to enhance patient's self-management and quality of life were to let the patient's family or the spouses taking care of them. However, the current palliative care delivery service system in Thailand did not encourage families to help patients deal with their roles and responsibilities. The results of this study showed that lacking sexual health sensitivity, especially on role and responsibility as a woman, which is vital for the patient's self-management, the palliative care delivery service system in Thailand mainly provided physical care and did not encourage patient's family to collaborate in patients' care. It also indicated that to promote the patient's quality of life, there was a need to develop a sexual health-sensitive service system for disease like cervical cancer, and pay attention to other factors like the age difference, the severity of comorbidity, and the treatment differences.