The effectiveness of mindfulness on quality of life of women with premature menopause: a quasi-experimental study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Pyri ◽  
Parvin Abedi ◽  
Elham Maraghi ◽  
Maryam Gholamzadeh Jashreh

Abstract Background: Premature menopause may impair the quality of life and expose women to disorders such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and depression. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness on the quality of life of women with premature menopause. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study in which 62 women were recruited and randomly allocated in two groups of mindfulness and control. The mindfulness group received eight sessions of training. A demographic questionnaire, Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) and a checklist (for assessing frequency and intensity of hot flashes) were used to collect data. The quality of life, frequency, and intensity of hot flashes measured at baseline, after eight weeks and in three months follow-up. The Independent t-test, the chi-square test, and the repeated measure test were used for analyzing data. Results: The score of quality of life was significantly improved after the intervention and in three months follow-up in the mindfulness group compared to the control group (p<0.001). The scores of vasomotor, psychological, physical, and sexual domains also improved significantly in the mindfulness group compared to the control group. The severity and the frequency of hot flashes were significantly reduced in the mindfulness group in comparison to the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that eight weeks of mindfulness training could significantly improve the quality of life and also could reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in women with premature menopause. Using mindfulness for women with premature menopause is recommended.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Collado-Borrell ◽  
Vicente Escudero-Vilaplana ◽  
Almudena Ribed ◽  
Cristina Gonzalez-Anleo ◽  
Maite Martin-Conde ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Oral antineoplastic agents (OAAs) have revolutionized cancer management. However, they have been reported with adverse side effects and drug-drug interactions. Moreover, patient adherence to OAA treatment is critical. Mobile apps can enable remote and real-time pharmacotherapeutic monitoring of patients, while also promoting patient autonomy in their health care. OBJECTIVE The primary objective was to analyze the effect of using a mobile app for the follow-up of patients with oncohematological malignancies undergoing treatment with OAAs on their health outcomes. The secondary objectives were to analyze the role of the app in communication with health care professionals and patient satisfaction with the app. METHODS We performed a comparative, quasi-experimental study based on a prepost intervention with 101 patients (control group, n=51, traditional pharmacotherapeutic follow-up vs intervention group, n=50, follow-up through e-OncoSalud, a custom-designed app that promotes follow-up at home and the safety of patients receiving OAAs). The effect of this app on drug safety, adherence to treatment, and quality of life was evaluated. RESULTS With regard to drug safety, 73% (37/51) of the patients in the control group and 70% (35/50) of the patients in the intervention group (<i>P</i>=.01) presented with drug-related problems. The probability of detecting an insufficiently treated health problem in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group (<i>P</i>=.04). The proportion of patients who presented with side effects in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (<i>P</i>&gt;.99). In the control group, 49% (25/51) of the patients consumed some health resources during the first 6 months of treatment compared with 36% (18/50) of the patients in the intervention group (<i>P</i>=.76). Adherence to treatment was 97.6% (SD 7.9) in the intervention group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (92.9% [SD 10.0]; <i>P</i>=.02). The EuroQol-5D in the intervention group yielded a mean (SD) index of 0.875 (0.156), which was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.741 [0.177]; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Approximately 60% (29/50) of the patients used the messaging module to communicate with pharmacists. The most frequent types of messages were acknowledgments (77/283, 27.2%), doubts about contraindications and interactions with OAAs (70/283, 24.7%), and consultations for adverse reactions to treatment (39/283, 13.8%). The satisfaction with the app survey conducted in the intervention group yielded an overall mean (SD) score of 9.1 (0.4) out of 10. CONCLUSIONS Use of e-OncoSalud for the real-time follow-up of patients receiving OAAs facilitated the optimization of some health outcomes. The intervention group had significantly higher health-related quality of life and adherence to treatment than the control group. Further, the probability of the intervention group presenting with side effects was significantly lower than that of the control group.


2018 ◽  
pp. 163-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Somaye Salmani ◽  
Masoomeh Imanipour ◽  
Alireza Nikbakht Nasrabadi

Background: Breast surgery for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer is associated with poor postoperative quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a programmed discharge planning in improving overall QOL and its physical, emotional, social, and spiritual domains. Method: In this quasi-experimental study, we evaluated the newly diagnosed breast cancer women undergoing breast-conserving therapy in two groups, an experimental group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 34). The experimental group received programmed discharge planning at the time of hospital admission until six weeks after discharge. The control group received routine hospital care. Participants completed the QOL questionnaires before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the independent-samples t test, Fisher exact test, and Mann-Whitney U. Results: Before the intervention, there were no significant differences between the control and experimental groups in overall QOL or its physical, emotional, social, and spiritual domains. The data analysis after intervention showed significant improvement in QOL in the experimental group as compared with the control group. The changes in the scores of various domains of QOL were statistically significant (P < 0.01). Conclusion: This study emphasizes that programmed discharge planning is useful for improving QOL after breast-conserving surgery. Our finding could be applied to breast cancer patients with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amirreza Famil-Dardashti ◽  
Ali Hajigholami ◽  
Shirinsadat Badri ◽  
Afsaneh Yekdaneh ◽  
Azadeh Moghaddas

Background: Anorexia and cachexia are one of the major problems in patients suffering from advanced malignancies. Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of herbal combination containing Fenugreek, Fennel, and Chicory supplementation to the high-dose megestrol for the treatment of cancer-induced cachexia and anorexia. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 47 adult patients with advanced malignancy; they experienced anorexia and weight loss over the 2 past months and referred to a university-affiliated hospital (Omid) in Isfahan, Iran. Patients who had met the inclusion criteria were assigned to take either herbal combination or placebo tablets in addition to megestrol (160 mg daily) for a 2-month follow-up. All patients’ demographic information, weight changes, anthropometric indices, as well as the quality of life criteria were recorded at the baseline and after the duration of follow-up. Results: Patients in the herbal combination group experienced a mean weight gain of 1.5 kg, while patients in the placebo group had an average weight loss of 0.6 kg. Anthropometric indices including triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm muscle circumference index, and grip strength were significantly improved in the herbal combination group. The other evaluated criteria such as quality of life, functional assessment of anorexia/cachexia therapy (FAACT), and some factors of Anderson criteria were significantly improved in the herbal combination group than the placebo group. Conclusions: Given the ameliorated results of the herbal combination supplementation in terms of weight gain and appetite improvement, as well as physical and quality of life enhancement, it seems that the herbal combination can be used as an adjunctive treatment for the management of patients suffering from cancer-induced cachexia and anorexia.


10.2196/20480 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e20480
Author(s):  
Roberto Collado-Borrell ◽  
Vicente Escudero-Vilaplana ◽  
Almudena Ribed ◽  
Cristina Gonzalez-Anleo ◽  
Maite Martin-Conde ◽  
...  

Background Oral antineoplastic agents (OAAs) have revolutionized cancer management. However, they have been reported with adverse side effects and drug-drug interactions. Moreover, patient adherence to OAA treatment is critical. Mobile apps can enable remote and real-time pharmacotherapeutic monitoring of patients, while also promoting patient autonomy in their health care. Objective The primary objective was to analyze the effect of using a mobile app for the follow-up of patients with oncohematological malignancies undergoing treatment with OAAs on their health outcomes. The secondary objectives were to analyze the role of the app in communication with health care professionals and patient satisfaction with the app. Methods We performed a comparative, quasi-experimental study based on a prepost intervention with 101 patients (control group, n=51, traditional pharmacotherapeutic follow-up vs intervention group, n=50, follow-up through e-OncoSalud, a custom-designed app that promotes follow-up at home and the safety of patients receiving OAAs). The effect of this app on drug safety, adherence to treatment, and quality of life was evaluated. Results With regard to drug safety, 73% (37/51) of the patients in the control group and 70% (35/50) of the patients in the intervention group (P=.01) presented with drug-related problems. The probability of detecting an insufficiently treated health problem in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P=.04). The proportion of patients who presented with side effects in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P>.99). In the control group, 49% (25/51) of the patients consumed some health resources during the first 6 months of treatment compared with 36% (18/50) of the patients in the intervention group (P=.76). Adherence to treatment was 97.6% (SD 7.9) in the intervention group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (92.9% [SD 10.0]; P=.02). The EuroQol-5D in the intervention group yielded a mean (SD) index of 0.875 (0.156), which was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.741 [0.177]; P<.001). Approximately 60% (29/50) of the patients used the messaging module to communicate with pharmacists. The most frequent types of messages were acknowledgments (77/283, 27.2%), doubts about contraindications and interactions with OAAs (70/283, 24.7%), and consultations for adverse reactions to treatment (39/283, 13.8%). The satisfaction with the app survey conducted in the intervention group yielded an overall mean (SD) score of 9.1 (0.4) out of 10. Conclusions Use of e-OncoSalud for the real-time follow-up of patients receiving OAAs facilitated the optimization of some health outcomes. The intervention group had significantly higher health-related quality of life and adherence to treatment than the control group. Further, the probability of the intervention group presenting with side effects was significantly lower than that of the control group.


Author(s):  
Mastour Saeed Alshahrani ◽  
Ravi Shankar Yerragonda Reddy ◽  
Jaya Shankar Tedla

Abstract Purpose Although a number of treatments are widely prescribed for fibromyalgia (FM), many are not fully effective. In clinical practice, the effectiveness of electrotherapy is limited in particular to hydro-galvanic bath therapy in the management of FM. This experiment aims to evaluate whether hydro-galvanic bath therapy can be beneficial in decreasing pain and increasing quality of life for individuals with FM. Material and Methods This quasi-experimental study recruited 92 individuals diagnosed with FM who were then divided equally either into a galvanic group or control group. The galvanic group received both hydro-galvanic bath therapy and a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise program, whereas the control group only received the exercise program. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), SF-36 Health Survey, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results and discussion Individuals in both groups showed excellent compliance with interventions by attending more than 85% of sessions. Both groups showed a significant change in all outcome measures evaluated (p<0.001), but the galvanic group showed greater improvements when compared with the control group (p<0.001). The galvanic group showed a 16.6% of FIQ score, 8.2% of SF-36 score, 25.0% of BDI score, and 53.2% of VAS score from baseline. In turn, the control group demonstrated a reduction of 6.8% of FIQ score, 11.8% of SF-36 score, 22.0% of BDI score, and 41.6% of VAS score. Conclusion The galvanic group who received galvanic bath therapy along with aerobic exercise for 12 weeks evoked greater change in FIQ, BDI, and SF-36 Health Survey scores compared with results of aerobic exercise alone in control group.


Author(s):  
José Antonio Mingorance ◽  
Pedro Montoya ◽  
José García Vivas Miranda ◽  
Inmaculada Riquelme

Whole body vibration has been proven to improve the health status of patients with fibromyalgia, providing an activation of the neuromuscular spindles, which are responsible for muscle contraction. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two types of whole body vibrating platforms (vertical and rotational) during a 12-week training program. Sixty fibromyalgia patients (90% were women) were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: group A (n = 20), who performed the vibration training with a vertical platform; group B (n = 20), who did rotational platform training; or a control group C (n = 20), who did not do any training. Sensitivity measures (pressure pain and vibration thresholds), quality of life (Quality of Life Index), motor function tasks (Berg Scale, six-minute walking test, isometric back muscle strength), and static and dynamic balance (Romberg test and gait analysis) were assessed before, immediately after, and three months after the therapy program. Although both types of vibration appeared to have beneficial effects with respect to the control group, the training was more effective with the rotational than with vertical platform in some parameters, such as vibration thresholds (p < 0.001), motor function tasks (p < 0.001), mediolateral sway (p < 0.001), and gait speed (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, improvements disappeared in the follow-up in both types of vibration. Our study points out greater benefits with the use of rotational rather than vertical whole body vibration. The use of the rotational modality is recommended in the standard therapy program for patients with fibromyalgia. Due to the fact that the positive effects of both types of vibration disappeared during the follow-up, continuous or intermittent use is recommended.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 480-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Dalgas ◽  
E. Stenager ◽  
J. Jakobsen ◽  
T. Petersen ◽  
HJ Hansen ◽  
...  

Fatigue occurs in the majority of multiple sclerosis patients and therapeutic possibilities are few. Fatigue, mood and quality of life were studied in patients with multiple sclerosis following progressive resistance training leading to improvement of muscular strength and functional capacity. Fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale, FSS), mood (Major Depression Inventory, MDI) and quality of life (physical and mental component scores, PCS and MCS, of SF36) were scored at start, end and follow-up of a randomized controlled clinical trial of 12 weeks of progressive resistance training in moderately disabled (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS: 3—5.5) multiple sclerosis patients including a Control group ( n = 15) and an Exercise group ( n = 16). Fatigue (FSS > 4) was present in all patients. Scores of FSS, MDI, PCS—SF36 and MCS—SF36 were comparable at start of study in the two groups. Fatigue improved during exercise by —0.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) —1.4 to 0.4) a.u. vs. 0.1 (95% CI —0.4 to 0.6) a.u. in controls ( p = 0.04), mood improved by —2.4 (95% CI —4.1 to 0.7) a.u. vs. 1.1 (—1.2 to 3.4) a.u. in controls ( p = 0.01) and quality of life (PCS—SF36) improved by 3.5 (95% CI 1.4—5.7) a.u. vs. —1.0 (95% CI —3.4—1.4) a.u. in controls ( p = 0.01). The beneficial effect of progressive resistance training on all scores was maintained at follow-up after further 12 weeks. Fatigue, mood and quality of life all improved following progressive resistance training, the beneficial effect being maintained for at least 12 weeks after end of intervention.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheida Jabalameli ◽  
Hamid Taher Neshat Doost ◽  
Mohammad Bagher Kajbaf ◽  
Hossein Molavi

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders. It has been reported that psychological treatments like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective for patients with GAD. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the effectiveness of CBT on Quality of Life (QOL) and worry in patients with GAD. A sample of 30 patients with GAD who had been referred to psychiatry offices in Isfahan, Iran were selected and assigned into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15) randomly.  The experimental group received CBT in 8 weekly sessions. All participants completed the World Health Organization Quality Of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) at pretest, posttest and follow up. The results of MANCOVA showed that the mean scores of QOL in the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group at the posttest and follow up (P<0.05) and the mean scores of worry in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group at the posttest and follow up (P<0.05) It is concluded that CBT can be applied for the patients with GAD as a useful psychological treatment. In general, CBT can improve QOL and decrease worry in patients with GAD.


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