scholarly journals Coping and Quality of Life after Total Laryngectomy

2012 ◽  
Vol 146 (6) ◽  
pp. 959-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya L. Eadie ◽  
Brianne C. Bowker

Objective. To investigate how ways of coping and traditional factors (age, sex, time postlaryngectomy, stage of disease, radiation, alaryngeal speech method) predict global quality of life, head and neck cancer–specific quality of life, and voice-related quality-of-life outcomes after total laryngectomy. Study Design. Cross-sectional survey. Setting. University-based laboratory and speech clinic. Subjects and Methods. Sixty-seven individuals who underwent total laryngectomy secondary to cancer were recruited from support groups and professional contacts. Individuals were at minimum 9 months postlaryngectomy. All outcomes were patient reported and included demographic data as well as a number of validated questionnaires: the Ways of Coping–Cancer Version (WOC-CV) scale, the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) scale, and the University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) composite and global QOL scores. Results. Fifty-three individuals identified a stressful aspect of their laryngectomy. As a set, traditional variables (age, time postlaryngectomy, alaryngeal speech method) accounted for only 5% of global QOL scores but between 25% and 30% of the variance of composite UW-QOL and V-RQOL scores. Time postlaryngectomy was the strongest traditional predictor. Ways of coping accounted for 23% to 32% of all QOL scores. Avoidant coping strategies (both cognitive and behavioral escape) were among the strongest predictors of poorer QOL. When traditional variables were combined with ways of coping, they together accounted for 26% to 46% of the variance of QOL outcomes. Conclusion. Coping is important to consider when evaluating postlaryngectomy outcomes, above and beyond traditionally investigated factors.

2021 ◽  
pp. 019459982110137
Author(s):  
Catherine T. Haring ◽  
Janice L. Farlow ◽  
Marie Leginza ◽  
Kaitlin Vance ◽  
Anna Blakely ◽  
...  

Objective Surgical procedures that render patients acutely aphonic can cause them to experience significant anxiety and distress. We queried patient perceptions after tracheostomy or laryngectomy and investigated whether introducing augmentative technology was associated with improvement in patient-reported outcomes. Methods Participants included hospitalized patients who acutely lost the ability to speak due to tracheostomy or total laryngectomy from April 2018 to December 2019. We distributed questions regarding the patient communication experience and relevant questions from the validated V-RQOL questionnaire (Voice-Related Quality of Life). Patients were offered a tablet with the electronic communication application Verbally. Pre- and postintervention groups were compared with chi-square analyses. Results Surveys were completed by 35 patients (n = 18, preintervention; n = 17, postintervention). Prior to using augmentative technology, 89% of patients who were aphonic reported difficulty communicating, specifically noting breathing or suctioning (56%), treatment and discharge plans (78%), or immediate needs, such as pain and using the bathroom (39%). Communication difficulties caused anxiety (55%), depression (44%), or frustration (62%), and 92% of patients were interested in using an electronic communication device. Patients reported less trouble communicating after the intervention versus before (53% vs 89%, P = .03), including less difficulty communicating about treatment or discharge plans (35% vs 78%, P < .01). V-RQOL scores were unchanged. Discussion Acute loss of phonation arising from surgery can be highly distressing for patients, and use of augmentative technology may alleviate some of these challenges by improving communication. Further studies are needed to identify what additional strategies may improve overall well-being. Implications for Practice Electronic communication devices may benefit patients with acute aphonia.


2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 2406-2414 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAN D. HIRSCH ◽  
SUSAN J. LEE ◽  
ROBERT TERKELTAUB ◽  
DINESH KHANNA ◽  
JASVINDER SINGH ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate the reliability and validity of an instrument assessing the influence of gout (acute and chronic) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).MethodsFocus groups were used to examine the content of an existing Gout Assessment Questionnaire (GAQ1.0). GAQ2.0 was developed, consisting of a section describing the impact of gout on HRQOL [Gout Impact (GI)] and 4 sections describing subjects’ gout overall and demographic data. The GAQ2.0 and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Version 2 (SF-36v2) were completed by gout patients in 3 US cities. GI scales were examined using clinical judgment, review of item statistics, Rasch analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsSubjects (n = 308) were predominantly male (90.2%), Caucasian (75.9%), with a mean age 62.2 ± 11.8 years. Half the subjects (49.7%) reported ≥ 3 attacks in the past year. Two-week test-retest reliability for each scale was good (0.77 to 0.89) for all 5 GI scales. All scales achieved high sufficient (0.86 to 0.89) or excellent (0.93 to 0.97) ratings based on 10-item adjusted alpha coefficients. Correlations and tests among known groups indicated subjects with more severe gout had higher GI scores (i.e., greater gout impact). GI scores correlated more highly with patient-reported measures of gout severity than the SF-36v2 and several traditional measures of gout severity.ConclusionThe GAQ2.0 is an instrument for measuring the impact of gout on HRQOL. The GI section exhibited acceptable reliability and validity characteristics. Future studies should assess GI responsiveness, minimally important differences, and psychometric properties in other patient populations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-151
Author(s):  
Markus A. Wirtz ◽  
Matthias Morfeld ◽  
Elmar Brähler ◽  
Andreas Hinz ◽  
Heide Glaesmer

Abstract. The association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Short-Form Health Survey-12; SF-12) and patient-reported morbidity-related symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) is analyzed in a representative sample of older people in the general German population. Data from 1,659 people aged 60 to 85 years were obtained. Latent class analysis identified six classes of patients, which optimally categorize clusters of physical symptoms the participants reported: musculoskeletal impairments (39.8%), healthy (25.7%), musculoskeletal and respiratory/cardiac impairments (12.8%), musculoskeletal and respiratory impairments, along with bowel and digestion problems (12.9%), general impairments (4.9%), and general impairments with no bowel and digestion problems (4.8%). The participants’ SF-12 Physical Health Scores (η2 = .39) and their Mental Health Scores (η2 = .28) are highly associated with these latent classes. These associations remain virtually identical after controlling for age. The results provide evidence that profiles of patient-reported physical impairments correspond strongly with reduced HRQoL independently from aging processes.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lleo Ana Maria Gonzalez ◽  
Mauro Boronat Cortes ◽  
Ulla Feldt-Rasmussen ◽  
Carlos Rodriguez Perez ◽  
AEse Krogh Rasmussen ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huailiang Wu ◽  
Weiwei Sun ◽  
Hanqing Chen ◽  
Yanxin Wu ◽  
Wenjing Ding ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pregnant women experience physical, physiological, and mental changes. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a relevant indicator of psychological and physical behaviours, changing over the course of pregnancy. This study aims to assess HRQoL of pregnant women during different stages of pregnancy. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed using the The EuroQoL Group’s five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) to assess the HRQoL of pregnant women, and demographic data were collected. This study was conducted in a regional university hospital in Guangzhou, China. Results A total of 908 pregnant women were included in this study. Pregnant women in the early 2nd trimester had the highest HRQoL. The HRQoL of pregnant women rose from the 1st trimester to the early 2nd trimester, and dropped to the bottom at the late 3rd trimester due to some physical and mental changes. Reports of pain/discomfort problem were the most common (46.0%) while self-care were the least concern. More than 10% of pregnant women in the 1st trimester had health-related problems in at least one dimension of whole five dimensions. In the whole sample, the EuroQoL Group’s visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) was 87.86 ± 9.16. Across the gestational stages, the HRQoL remained stable during the pregnancy but the highest value was observed in the 1st trimester (89.65 ± 10.13) while the lowest was in the late 3rd trimester (87.28 ± 9.13). Conclusions During pregnancy, HRQoL were associated with gestational trimesters in a certain degree. HRQoL was the highest in the early 2nd trimester and then decreased to the lowest in the late 3rd trimester due to a series of physical and psychological changes. Therefore, obstetric doctors and medical institutions should give more attention and care to pregnant women in the late 3rd trimester.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Lange ◽  
Abigail Kumagai ◽  
Sara Weiss ◽  
Katherine B. Zaffke ◽  
Sherry Day ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Existing patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures may not be relevant to the full range of functional and vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) concerns of individuals with vision impairment due to severe peripheral field loss (PFL). Measurement of VR-QOL in severe PFL is important in order to determine the effectiveness of vision rehabilitation interventions for this population. The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of severe PFL due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and glaucoma on VR-QOL as the initial phase in the development of a novel PRO measure. Methods Individuals with severe PFL due to RP or glaucoma were recruited from the Kellogg Eye Center and the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Participants completed semi-structured qualitative interviews, the Impact of Vision Impairment (IVI) questionnaire and the RAND 36-Item Health Survey. Interviews were analyzed by two coders using thematic analysis. A matrix analysis was conducted to compare VR-QOL by cause of severe PFL. Sample size was determined by thematic saturation. Results The study included 37 participants (19 RP, 18 glaucoma). Median best-corrected visual acuity for those with RP and glaucoma was 20/40 and 20/27.5, while Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity was 1.2 log contrast sensitivity (logCS) and 1.1 logCS, respectively. Median domain scores on the IVI (reading, mobility, well-being) ranged from a low of − 0.2 to a high of 0.7 logits in those with RP and from 0.5 to 1.2 logits in those with glaucoma. Qualitative interviews identified six VR-QOL themes relevant across participants with both RP and glaucoma, including activity limitations, driving, emotional well-being, reading, mobility, and social function. VR-QOL concerns were largely consistent among those with severe PFL due to RP and glaucoma. These overarching themes contained content relevant to specific challenges related to severe PFL. Conclusions There are commonly occurring VR-QOL concerns among individuals with severe PFL due to RP and glaucoma. The outlined themes will serve as the basis for development of the Low Vision Severely Constricted Peripheral Eyesight (LV-SCOPE) Questionnaire.


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