scholarly journals Where are we and where to go for supportive cancer care in China? A national survey of patients and healthcare providers

Author(s):  
Xiaotian Zhang ◽  
Yiming Zhou ◽  
Ting Deng ◽  
Xianglin Yuan ◽  
Jianping Xiong ◽  
...  

Abstract This study aimed to make a comprehensive, nationwide survey of supportive care for cancer patients in China. Two sets of questionnaires, one for medical professionals and one for patients, were distributed. Responses were received from 12,686 medical care personnel and 11,172 patients or their family representatives from 34 provinces. It was found that only about one-fourth of caregivers felt they had much knowledge about oncology supportive care, and nearly 10% admitted to having little or no knowledge. Multidisciplinary teams for supportive care were more often available in tertiary hospitals (19.9%) than in non-tertiary hospitals (15.4%) (p < 0.05). Pain was the most common patient concern; however, pain treatment was only the fifth most common therapy administered by health care providers. Patient concerns were more often subjective (pain, economic burden, appearance, and sexual dysfunction), whereas caregiver treatments were more often directed at objective concerns (nutrition and adverse reactions to treatment regimens). Patients reported that they received no guidance or guidance only when they proposed it for psychological (25%), physical exercise (15%), nutrition (40%), or spiritual (40%-65%) needs. We conclude that the concept of supportive care is widely accepted and implemented throughout China. However, gaps exist in caregiver knowledge about supportive oncology care, the use of multidisciplinary teams, especially in non-tertiary hospitals, and the interventions between what caregivers give and what patients subjectively need. Improvements in caregiver education in supportive oncology care and the delivery of care are needed.

Author(s):  
Mohammed Shanshal ◽  
Hayder Saad Ahmed ◽  
Hayder Asfoor ◽  
Raad Ibrahim Salih ◽  
Shehab Ahmed Ali ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110295
Author(s):  
Jun Miyashita ◽  
Sayaka Shimizu ◽  
Shunichi Fukuhara ◽  
Yosuke Yamamoto

Background: The relationship between advance care planning and religious beliefs, which are important for palliative care, is controversial in Western countries and has not been verified in Asian countries. Aim: To investigate the association between advance care planning discussions and religious beliefs in Japan. Design: A nationwide survey conducted in 2016 using a quota sampling method to obtain a representative sample of Japan’s general population. Setting/participants: We analyzed responses from 3167 adults aged 20–84 years (mean age ± standard deviation, 50.9 ± 16.8 years). The outcome was measured by asking whether the respondents had ever discussed advance care planning, and the main exposure by whether they had any religious beliefs or affiliations, and if so, their degree of devoutness. We analyzed religious beliefs, affiliations, and devoutness in relation to the occurrence of discussions using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for possible sociodemographic covariates. Results: Compared with respondents without, those with religious beliefs had significantly higher odds of having had discussions (adjusted odds ratio: 1.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.22–1.73). The devoutness of religious belief was proportional to the propensity of the occurrence of discussions ( p for trend < 0.001). In addition, Buddhists and Christians had higher odds of having had discussions than did nonbelievers. Conclusion: The results suggest that holding religious beliefs, especially in Japanese Buddhism and Christianity, facilitates advance care planning discussions among Japanese adults, and thus, may help health-care providers identify those prioritized for facilitating engagement in advance care planning, especially in palliative and spiritual care settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Meaghan Lunney ◽  
Aminu K. Bello ◽  
Adeera Levin ◽  
Helen Tam-Tham ◽  
Chandra Thomas ◽  
...  

Background and objectivesPeople with kidney failure typically receive KRT in the form of dialysis or transplantation. However, studies have suggested that not all patients with kidney failure are best suited for KRT. Additionally, KRT is costly and not always accessible in resource-restricted settings. Conservative kidney management is an alternate kidney failure therapy that focuses on symptom management, psychologic health, spiritual care, and family and social support. Despite the importance of conservative kidney management in kidney failure care, several barriers exist that affect its uptake and quality.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsThe Global Kidney Health Atlas is an ongoing initiative of the International Society of Nephrology that aims to monitor and evaluate the status of global kidney care worldwide. This study reports on findings from the 2018 Global Kidney Health Atlas survey, specifically addressing the availability, accessibility, and quality of conservative kidney management.ResultsRespondents from 160 countries completed the survey, and 154 answered questions pertaining to conservative kidney management. Of these, 124 (81%) stated that conservative kidney management was available. Accessibility was low worldwide, particularly in low-income countries. Less than half of countries utilized multidisciplinary teams (46%); utilized shared decision making (32%); or provided psychologic, cultural, or spiritual support (36%). One-quarter provided relevant health care providers with training on conservative kidney management delivery.ConclusionsOverall, conservative kidney management is available in most countries; however, it is not optimally accessible or of the highest quality.


Author(s):  
Kelly Knollman-Porter ◽  
Jessica A. Brown ◽  
Tracey Wallace ◽  
Shelby Spitz

Purpose People with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) may experience deficits in cognition or communication that go unnoticed by first-line health care providers (FHPs). Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) assess and treat these domains yet are often underrepresented on mTBI multidisciplinary teams. This study's aim was to evaluate FHPs' reported knowledge of and referral practices to SLPs for individuals across the life span with mTBI. Method Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and athletic trainers ( n = 126) completed an online survey, including two Likert scale questions and one free response question relating to SLPs' role in mTBI. Results More than half of FHPs rate their knowledge of the SLP's role in mTBI management as low (somewhat knowledgeable, 29%; not very knowledgeable, 23%). Similarly, nearly two thirds of FHPs indicated rarely (19%) or never (44%), referring to SLPs for management of patients with mTBI. The majority of FHPs' open responses on the role of the SLP in mTBI management were incomplete, with many including domains that were not relevant to an SLP's role in the management of mTBI (e.g., dysphagia). Within the article, we provide results overall and according to individual profession. Conclusions Results suggest a majority of FHPs lack knowledge in the role of the SLP in the management of mTBI, which may underpin the low referral patterns reported by FHPs for SLP services. Future educational efforts for FHPs regarding the role of SLPs in mTBI care are necessary.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Gaus Hinojosa

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ecuador was one of the countries most impacted globally. High instances of corruption, widespread COVID-19 fatalities and cases, and a strained health care system impacted Ecuadorian healthcare providers’ occupational responsibilities and environment. The psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ecuadorian healthcare providers are limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ecuadorian health care providers’ anxiety. A nationwide survey of 293 physicians, nurses, and health care workers in Ecuador was conducted to understand their self-reported anxiety as measured by the Zung self-reported anxiety scale. Our findings suggest the overall mean sample score (M = 39.14, SD = 8.17) was just under the clinical anxiety threshold. Additionally, a majority (63%, n = 114) of the sample appeared to meet the clinical threshold for anxiety highlighting the significant psychological toll of the COVID-19 crisis on health care workers. Explanatory factors and future policy and research recommendations are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deena Barakah

UNSTRUCTURED Estimating the awareness levels of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) among health care providers is currently active area of research. This study main objective is to evaluate the medical staff awareness about Evidence-Based Practice and its constitutes , tools and resources at Saudi General Tertiary Hospitals. The study was carried out at King Saud Medical City (KSMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The research main data were collected predominantly using a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The research results showed that showed that majority of participants have a good understanding of the term EBP (59.7%) ,while having a vague idea (34.7%) and with No idea are only (5.6%). Although of a high percentage of the participants realize the concept of EBP , levels of knowledge about various EBP tools vary considerably The less known EBP tools were for: Confidence interval (34.2%) , and P- value tool , Odd ratio ,and Heterogeneity (31.9) followed by Absolute Risk (29.8 %) and Sensitivity tool (27.7%). Among the most known EBP tools with “Good Understanding” level were for: Meta Analysis (27.7%) followed by Systematic review and Publication Bias both at 25.3%) level . The Chi-Square tests for the correlation of specialty rank and awareness of EBP indicates that there is no statistically significant association between Profession specialty rank or gender with EBP awareness or its tool knowledge levels . Main results from this research showed that Evidence-Based Practice awareness at King Saud medical city hospitals is at acceptable level. Furthermore, more intensive education and training and enhancement of EBP resources IT medical education resources are needed to increase its knowledge and understanding , and to support the diffusion of Evidence-Based Practice in daily practice.


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl_4) ◽  
pp. S-1-S-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Zelenetz ◽  
Islah Ahmed ◽  
Edward Louis Braud ◽  
James D. Cross ◽  
Nancy Davenport-Ennis ◽  
...  

Biologics are essential to oncology care. As patents for older biologics begin to expire, the United States is developing an abbreviated regulatory process for the approval of similar biologics (biosimilars), which raises important considerations for the safe and appropriate incorporation of biosimilars into clinical practice for patients with cancer. The potential for biosimilars to reduce the cost of biologics, which are often high-cost components of oncology care, was the impetus behind the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, a part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. In March 2011, NCCN assembled a work group consisting of thought leaders from NCCN Member Institutions and other organizations, to provide guidance regarding the challenges health care providers and other key stakeholders face in incorporating biosimilars in health care practice. The work group identified challenges surrounding biosimilars, including health care provider knowledge, substitution practices, pharmacovigilance, naming and product tracking, coverage and reimbursement, use in off-label settings, and data requirements for approval.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Linda C. Odikpo ◽  
E.N. Chiejina

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of exercise is of paramount importance in improving and reclaiming the health of women with breast cancer and also enables them to reap the enormous benefits associated with healthy physical activity. AIM: To assess the knowledge and perceived benefits of exercise among women with breast cancer in Delta State. METHOD: Sample of 94 eligible consenting women who are still maintaining follow up with the two tertiary hospitals in Delta state, Federal Medical Center (FMC) Asaba and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) Oghara were enlisted for the study. RESULT: Findings from the study revealed knowledge of the recommended exercise was poor among the women with breast cancer, as only 21(22.3%) had good knowledge. For those knowledgeable, their knowledge source was mainly through the mass media 5(23.8%) and the internet 4(19.0%). On the benefits of exercise as perceived by the women with breast cancer, the result shows that 88 (93.6%) of the women with breast cancer perceived exercise as beneficial. The principal exercise perceived to be beneficial was walking 43(45.7) and treatment of discomfort 25(26.6%) was the main benefit they hoped to gain from exercise. Also demographic profile of the women were not significantly related to their knowledge about the recommended exercise asp > 0.05. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the recommended exercise was low among women with breast cancer despite their awareness of the benefits. It is therefore essential for health care providers especially those involved in the care of these patients to use every avenue to health-educate, counsel and help them in implementing the recommended exercise to enhance their survival.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 445-450
Author(s):  
Farbod Ebadifard Azar ◽  
Aziz Rezapour ◽  
Haleh Mousavi Isfahani ◽  
Saber Azami-Aghdash ◽  
Khalil Kalavani ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Kimlin Tam Ashing ◽  
Judy Huei-yu Wang ◽  
Marshalee George ◽  
Clement K. Gwede

The field of psychosocial oncology must respond to the needs of increasingly diverse cancer patient and survivor populations. Taking a health equity approach, this chapter reviews the intersectionality of the gender, culture, and socioecological contexts relevant to psychosocial oncology and survivorship. The authors propose five initiatives to (1) ensure gender consideration in the way forward so that psychosocial oncology is more patient responsive in treatment and healing, (2) increase the diversity and capacity of psychosocial oncology providers by training health care providers and professionals from underrepresented groups, (3) expand the reach of psychosocial care beyond the confines of academic research institutes and cancer centers into community hospitals and settings, (4) increase participation of advocates and survivors in peer-based supportive care, and (5) encourage collaboration among psychosocial oncology professionals and organizations, advocates, and policy-makers to promote access to and availability of psychosocial supportive care for ethnic minority and underserved communities.


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