scholarly journals Randomized Controlled Trial of an Educational Intervention for Managing Fatigue in Women Receiving Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (25) ◽  
pp. 6027-6036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy Yates ◽  
Sanchia Aranda ◽  
Maryanne Hargraves ◽  
Bev Mirolo ◽  
Alexandra Clavarino ◽  
...  

PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention in improving cancer-related fatigue.Patients and MethodsThis randomized controlled trial involved 109 women commencing adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I or II breast cancer in five chemotherapy treatment centers. Intervention group patients received an individualized fatigue education and support program delivered in the clinic and by phone over three 10- to 20-minute sessions 1 week apart. Instruments included a numeric rating scale assessing confidence with managing fatigue; 11-point numeric rating scales measuring fatigue at worst, average, and best; the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Fatigue and Piper Fatigue Scales; the Cancer Self-Efficacy Scale; the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30; and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. For each outcome, separate analyses of covariance of change scores between baseline (T1) and the three follow-up time points (T2, T3, and T4) were conducted, controlling for the variable's corresponding baseline value.ResultsCompared with the intervention group, mean difference scores between the baseline (T1) and immediate after the test (T2) assessments increased significantly more for the control group for worst and average fatigue, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Fatigue, and Piper fatigue severity and interference measures. These differences were not observed between baseline and T3 and T4 assessments. No significant differences were identified for any pre- or post-test change scores for confidence with managing fatigue, cancer self-efficacy, anxiety, depression, or quality of life.ConclusionPreparatory education and support has the potential to assist women to cope with cancer-related fatigue in the short term. However, further research is needed to identify ways to improve the potency and sustainability of psychoeducational interventions for managing cancer-related fatigue.

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L Cowie ◽  
Margot F Underwood ◽  
Cinde B Little ◽  
Ian Mitchell ◽  
Sheldon Spier ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Asthma is common and is often poorly controlled in adolescent subjects.OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of an age-specific asthma program on asthma control, particularly on exacerbations of asthma requiring emergency department treatment, and on the quality of life of adolescents with asthma.METHODS: The present randomized, controlled trial included patients who were 15 to 20 years of age and had visited emergency departments for management of their asthma. The interventional group attended an age-specific asthma program that included assessment, education and management by a team of asthma educators, respiratory therapists and respiratory physicians. In the control group, spirometry was performed, and the patients continued to receive usual care from their regular physicians. The outcomes were assessed by a questionnaire six months after entry into the study.RESULTS: Ninety-three subjects entered the study and were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Of these, only 62 patients were available for review after six months. Subjects in both the control and the intervention groups showed a marked improvement in their level of asthma control, reflected primarily by a 73% reduction in the rate of emergency department attendance for asthma. Other indexes of disease control, including disease-specific quality of life, as assessed by questionnaires, were improved. There was, however, no discernible difference between the subjects in the two groups, with the exception of an improvement in favour of the intervention group in the symptom (actual difference 0.7, P=0.048) and emotional (actual difference 0.8, P=0.028) domains of the asthma quality of life questionnaire. The overall quality of life score favoured the intervention group by a clinically relevant difference of 0.6, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.06).CONCLUSIONS: Although all subjects demonstrated a significant improvement in asthma control and quality of life, the improvement attributable to this intervention was limited to two domains in disease-specific quality of life.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Susanna Toija ◽  
Tarja Helena Kettunen ◽  
Marjut Hannele Kristiina Leidenius ◽  
Tarja Hellin Kaarina Vainiola ◽  
Risto Paavo Antero Roine

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanford I. Nidich ◽  
Jeremy Z. Fields ◽  
Maxwell V. Rainforth ◽  
Rhoda Pomerantz ◽  
David Cella ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floortje K. Ploos van Amstel ◽  
Marlies E. W. J. Peters ◽  
Rogier Donders ◽  
Margrethe S. Schlooz‐Vries ◽  
Lenny J. M. Polman ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1091-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Moyle ◽  
Lorraine Venturato ◽  
Marie Cooke ◽  
Jenny Murfield ◽  
Susan Griffiths ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground:This 12 month, Australian study sought to compare the Capabilities Model of Dementia Care (CMDC) with usual long-term care (LTC), in terms of (1) the effectiveness of the CMDC in assisting care staff to improve Quality Of Life (QOL) for older people with dementia; and (2) whether implementation of the CMDC improved staff attitudes towards, and experiences of working and caring for the person with dementia.Methods:A single blind, non-randomized controlled trial design, involving CMDC intervention group (three facilities) and a comparison usual LTC practice control group (one facility), was conducted from August 2010 to September 2011. Eighty-one staff members and 48 family members of a person with dementia were recruited from these four LTC facilities. At baseline, 6 and 12 months, staff completed a modified Staff Experiences of Working with Demented Residents questionnaire (SEWDR), and families completed the Quality of Life – Alzheimer's Disease questionnaire (QOL-AD).Results:LTC staff in the usual care group reported significantly lower SEWDR scores (i.e. less work satisfaction) than those in the CMDC intervention group at 12 months (p = 0.005). Similarly, family members in the comparison group reported significantly lower levels of perceived QOL for their relative with dementia (QOL-AD scores) than their counterparts in the CMDC intervention group at 12 months (p = 0.012).Conclusions:Although the study has a number of limitations the CMDC appears to be an effective model of dementia care – more so than usual LTC practice. The CMDC requires further evaluation with participants from a diverse range of LTC facilities and stages of cognitive impairment.


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