An Exploratory Study to Understand Factors Associated with Health-related Quality of Life Among Uninsured/Underinsured Patients as Identified by Clinic Providers and Staff

Since the release of Healthy People 2020, there has been extensive research understanding factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among specific populations. Despite this growing body of research, little has been conducted to understand the factors associated with HRQoL among uninsured/underinsured Americans. The purposes of the present study were to assess clinic staff to determine: (1) whether there is a need to examine HRQoL among uninsured/underinsured individuals, (2) whether there is a need for tailored HRQoL-promoting interventions among uninsured/underinsured individuals, and (3) the factors associated with HRQoL among uninsured/underinsured individuals. A survey was sent to an association of 41 clinics that provides free medical services to uninsured/underinsured individuals. The majority of participants indicated that uninsured/underinsured individuals experience unique factors associated with HRQoL and that there was a need to implement tailored HRQoL-improving interventions among uninsured/underinsured individuals. The results also present the personal/contextual factors associated with HRQoL of uninsured/underinsured individuals.

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Factors Associated with Health‐Related Quality of Life in Late‐Stage Parkinson's Disease

Movement Disorders Clinical Practice ◽

10.1002/mdc3.13186 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kristina Rosqvist ◽

Per Odin ◽

Stefan Lorenzl ◽

Wassilios G. Meissner ◽

Bastiaan R. Bloem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Late Stage ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

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Health-Related Quality of Life in Asian Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Survivors

Cancer Control ◽

10.1177/10732748211029726 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 107327482110297

Author(s):

Wing-Lok Chan ◽

Horace Cheuk-Wai Choi ◽

Brian Lang ◽

Kai-Pun Wong ◽

Kwok-Keung Yuen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Thyroid Cancer ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Differentiated Thyroid Cancer ◽

Summary Score ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is important for differentiated thyroid cancer survivors, but data for Asian survivors is lacking. This study aimed to have an overview of, and identify any disease-or treatment-related factors associated with, HRQoL in Asian differentiated thyroid cancer survivors. Patients and Methods: Thyroid cancer survivors were recruited from the thyroid clinics at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong from February 2016 to December 2016. All adult differentiated thyroid cancer patients with stable disease more than or equal to 1 year received a survey on HRQoL using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Thyroid cancer specific quality of life (THYCA-QoL) questionnaire. Clinical information was collected retrospectively from the computerized clinical management system. To identify factors associated with poor HRQoL, univariable and stepwise multivariable regression analysis were performed. Results: A total of 613 survivors completed the questionnaires (response rate: 82.1%; female: 80.1%; median survivorship: 7.4 years (range: 1.0-48.2 years)). The QLQ-C30 summary score mean was 84.4 (standard deviation (SD): 12.7) while the THYCA-QoL summary score mean was 39.9 (SD: 9.7). The 2 highest symptom subscales were fatigue (mean: 26.4, SD: 20.6) and insomnia (mean: 26.2, SD: 27.6). Factors associated with worse HRQoL included serum thyrotropin (TSH) greater than 1.0 mIU/L, unemployment, and concomitant psychiatric disorders. Concomitant psychiatric illness (n = 40/613, 6.5%) also showed significant association with most of the symptom and functional subscales. Conclusions: Fatigue and insomnia were the 2 most common symptoms experienced by our differentiated thyroid cancer survivors. Long-term survivorship care with monitoring serum TSH level, supporting return-to-work and screening for concomitant psychiatric disorders should be offered.

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