Evaluating effects of a mobile health application in reducing patients' care needs and improving quality of life after oral cancer surgery. (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tze-Fang Wang ◽  
Rou-Chen Huang ◽  
Su-Chen Yang ◽  
Chyuan Chou ◽  
Chyuan Chou

BACKGROUND Oral cancer patients experience different degrees of comorbidity after medical and surgical treatment and also must face psychological distress and uncertainty during the disease course. Patients may encounter physical function obstacles, psychosocial issues and diminishing quality of life. Poorer quality of life creates a higher demand for care, greater demand for health information, and increased psychological needs, care support, medical communication needs, and assistance with physical functioning and activities of daily life. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the use of a mobile health application to provide information and education for patients after undergoing oral cancer surgery, and to evaluate changes in care needs and quality of life after the intervention. METHODS A convenience sample of 100 patients with postoperative oral cancer was recruited from Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (New Taipei City, Taiwan) between March 2017 and December 2017. Patients were divided into two groups: an experimental group (n=50) receiving an education and information intervention from a mobile health application and a control group (n=50) receiving standard care and nursing guidance. The mobile health application was used from discharge to three months after oral cancer surgery. Patients’ data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS At baseline, overall scores for quality of life in the experimental and control groups were 32.15 and 28.99, respectively; after 3 months of education/information intervention via mobile health application, the overall scores for quality of life were 24.91 and 24.63, respectively, but without statistical significance. Among patients’ care needs, the physiological needs decreased significantly in the experimental group after the intervention compared with those of the control group (p=0.015). Multivariate linear regression indicated that physiological needs also decreased significantly in the experimental group compared with the control group after adjusting for age and sex (p=0.022). Acceptability of the APP by patients was measured by use intentions, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. At baseline, mean experimental group scores were 2.54 for use intentions, 2.52 for perceptual usefulness, and 2.32 for perceived ease of use, with no significant differences with control group scores. After 3 months intervention, experimental group scores for use intentions, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were 3.02, 2.95, and 3.01, respectively, representing significant increases in each after APP intervention (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The mobile health application intervention improves quality of life and reduces physiological needs significantly in patients with postoperative oral cancer, and use of the device was readily accepted. These findings may constitute an empirical basis for postoperative care delivered by healthcare practitioners. Results of this study suggest that mobile health applications can be incorporated easily into routine care of oral cancer patients to provide medical information conveniently and improve patients’ self-management and quality of life.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lipilekha Patnaik ◽  
Sandeep Kumar Panigrahi ◽  
Abhay Kumar Sahoo ◽  
Debahuti Mishra ◽  
Saswatika Beura ◽  
...  

10.2196/18132 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e18132
Author(s):  
Tze-Fang Wang ◽  
Rou-Chen Huang ◽  
Su-Chen Yang ◽  
Chyuan Chou ◽  
Lee-Chen Chen

Background Intervention with a mobile Health (mHealth) app can improve the efficacy of early detection of oral cancer and the outcomes for patients taking oral anticancer medications. The quality of life of oral cancer patients is significantly reduced within three months after surgery; also, their needs for nursing care and health information increase, mainly due to side effects and associated psychological problems. Objective This study aimed to evaluate changes in the care needs and quality of life of patients with oral cancer after receiving the intervention of a newly developed mHealth app. Methods After surgery, oral cancer patients were divided into an experimental group (n=50) who received the mHealth app intervention and a control group (n=50) who received routine health care and instruction. After 3 months of intervention, survey questionnaires were used to assess the patients’ quality of life, nursing care needs, and acceptance of the mHealth app. Results The physiological care needs were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group (P<.05). Although the differences were not statistically significant, the psychological needs, communication needs, and care support needs all improved after the mHealth app intervention. The overall improvement in quality of life was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (–7.24 vs –4.36). In terms of intention to use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, the acceptability scores of the mHealth app were significantly increased after 3 months of intervention (P<.05). Conclusions Compared with routine health care and instruction, for patients after surgery, the education/information intervention using the mHealth app significantly reduced their nursing care needs, improved their quality of life, and increased their acceptance of using an mHealth app on a mobile device. These findings can provide a theoretical basis for future health care app design and improvement. This study suggests that an mHealth app should be incorporated into the routine care of oral cancer patients to provide medical information quickly and improve their self-management abilities, thereby reducing the patients’ need for physiological care and improving their quality of life. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04049968; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04049968


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tze-Fang Wang ◽  
Rou-Chen Huang ◽  
Su-Chen Yang ◽  
Chyuan Chou ◽  
Lee-Chen Chen

BACKGROUND Intervention with a mobile Health (mHealth) app can improve the efficacy of early detection of oral cancer and the outcomes for patients taking oral anticancer medications. The quality of life of oral cancer patients is significantly reduced within three months after surgery; also, their needs for nursing care and health information increase, mainly due to side effects and associated psychological problems. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate changes in the care needs and quality of life of patients with oral cancer after receiving the intervention of a newly developed mHealth app. METHODS After surgery, oral cancer patients were divided into an experimental group (n=50) who received the mHealth app intervention and a control group (n=50) who received routine health care and instruction. After 3 months of intervention, survey questionnaires were used to assess the patients’ quality of life, nursing care needs, and acceptance of the mHealth app. RESULTS The physiological care needs were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group (<i>P</i>&lt;.05). Although the differences were not statistically significant, the psychological needs, communication needs, and care support needs all improved after the mHealth app intervention. The overall improvement in quality of life was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (–7.24 vs –4.36). In terms of intention to use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, the acceptability scores of the mHealth app were significantly increased after 3 months of intervention (<i>P</i>&lt;.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared with routine health care and instruction, for patients after surgery, the education/information intervention using the mHealth app significantly reduced their nursing care needs, improved their quality of life, and increased their acceptance of using an mHealth app on a mobile device. These findings can provide a theoretical basis for future health care app design and improvement. This study suggests that an mHealth app should be incorporated into the routine care of oral cancer patients to provide medical information quickly and improve their self-management abilities, thereby reducing the patients’ need for physiological care and improving their quality of life. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04049968; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04049968


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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 46-54
Author(s):  
PARUL AGRAWAL ◽  
PRANAV PANDYA

Aim of the present study was to examine the effect of yogic practices in managing libidinal impulses among adolescents and improving their quality of life. Experimental and control group design was used. Eighty samples were collected through accidental sampling (40 in experimental group and 40 in control group) from Mother Teresa Public School, Delhi. The students those who had high levels of libidinal impulses were selected. The age of the subjects ranged from 14-19 years. The students in the experimental group were made to do yogic practices regularly for 40 days. Libidinal Impulses Scale and PGI General Wellbeing Scale were used. The obtained values of t-test for Libidinal Impulses and General Wellbeing are significant at 0.01 level of confidence. The  result  of  the  study  shows  that  yogic practices  are  significantly  effective  in  reducing  the  levels  of  libidinal impulses  and  improve the level of quality of life of adolescents.


2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Karen Moreira Antunes ◽  
Sérgio Garcia Stella ◽  
Ruth Ferreira Santos ◽  
Orlando Francisco Amodeu Bueno ◽  
Marco Túlio de Mello

OBJECTIVE: Mood disorders are a frequent problem in old age, and their symptoms constitute an important public health issue. These alterations affect the quality of life mainly by restricting social life. The participation in a regular exercise program is an effective way of reducing or preventing the functional decline associated with aging. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of fitness-endurance activity (at the intensity of Ventilatory Threshold 1 (VT-1)) in depression, anxiety and quality of life scores in seniors. METHODS: The study involved 46 sedentary seniors aged 60-75 (66.97 ± 4.80) who were randomly allocated to two groups: 1) Control group, which was neither asked to vary their everyday activities nor to join a regular physical fitness program; and 2) Experimental group, whose members took part in an aerobic fitness program consisting of ergometer cycle sessions 3 times a week on alternate days for six months working at a heart rate corresponding to ventilatory threshold (VT-1) intensity. Subjects were submitted to a basal evaluation using the geriatric depression screening scale - GDS, STAI trait/state (anxiety scale) and SF-36 (quality of life scale). RESULTS: Comparing the groups after the study period, we found a significant decrease in depressive and anxiety scores and an improvement in the quality of life in the experimental group, but no significant changes in the control group. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that an aerobic exercise program at VT-1 intensity suffices to promote favorable modifications in depressive and anxiety scores to improve the quality of life in seniors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Kiran Khushnood ◽  
Shafaq Altaf ◽  
Nasir Sultan ◽  
Malik Muhammad Ali Awan ◽  
Riafat Mehmood ◽  
...  

Objective: To determine the effects of Wii Fit exer-gaming on balance confidence, quality of life and fall risk in elderly population Methods: A double blinded randomized control was conducted at Kulsum International Hospital, Islamabad from July 31st to October 30th, 2018. Following screening, 90 subjects fulfilled inclusion criteria and gave consent to be part of trial. Subjects were randomly allocated into experimental and control group by concealed envelope method. After baseline assessment, experimental group received Wii fit gaming while controls received balance training for 30 minutes twice a week for 8 weeks. Activities balance confidence (ABC), Euro 5Q5L, timed up and go (TUG) and Fukuda were used as outcome measures. Data was analysed by SPSS 21. Results: ABC improved in experimental group from 76.47±3.69 to 86.53±3.99, and in control group from 77.51±3.01 to 82.70±2.78 with significance < 0.001. The components of Euro 5Q5L; mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression have changed with intergroup significance of 0.05, 0.006, 0.595, <0.001, 0.001 respectively. TUG and Fukuda improved in experimental and control group as 15.73±2.30 to 12.02±1.40 and 16.24±1.75 to 13.68±1.58 with significance <0.001, and from 41.78±6.to 71 to 30.09±8.05 and 43.36±5.59 to 38.68±5.75 with significance <0.001 respectively. Conclusion: Wii fit improves balance confidence and quality of life reducing fall risk in elderly. Clinical Trial Number: IRCT20180417039344N1 Keywords: Balance training, Elderly, Exer-gaming, Quality of life, Wii fit Continuous...


2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayati Vohra ◽  
Kushal Madan ◽  
Manish Sharma ◽  
J.P.S Sawhney

Objectives: To study the effect of four weeks of aerobic exercise training, on sleep quality and quality of life parameters like anxiety, depression and physical functioning in Post Myocardial Infarction (MI) patients. Methods: ST elevated MI patients (n=21, <65years age) were voluntarily divided into 2 groups, control group (n=11) and exercising group (n=10). The patients in experimental group followed an exercise program of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. The subjective quality of life, anxiety and depression levels were assessed by the SF 36 questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale (HAD scale) and the sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration was defined as PSQI > 5 and total sleep time <6hrs. respectively. After 4 weeks of the program the questionnaires were repeated for all 21 patients. Wilcoxon rank order test and Student T test were used. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant Results: Intergroup analysis showed statically significant reduction in anxiety score (9vs0.5) and depression score (3vs0) in exercise group as compared to control group respectively. As compared to control group, exercise group also showed statistically significant improvement in the quality of life parameter score [physical functioning (750vs1000), role functioning physical (0vs400) & emotional (0vs300), energy level (215vs400), emotional well-being (400vs500), social functioning (120vs200), general health (230vs462.5) & health changes (50vs100)]. Intra group analysis also showed significant changes only in exercise group. After 4 weeks of exercise training, PSQI score improved in the experimental group from 9.5±4.11 to 1.13±0.35 (p=0.00029) indicating better sleep quality and duration. While it remained comparable to the baseline values in the control group i.e. from 9.9±4.70 to 10.33±3.87 (p value= 0.514). Conclusion: Four weeks of exercise program improves the quality & duration of sleep and quality of life in MI patients after 2 weeks of index event.


2019 ◽  
Vol 02 (02) ◽  
pp. 092-092
Author(s):  
Martín-Macho Martínez M. ◽  
Ventero Gómez A. ◽  
Carrió Font M. ◽  
Martín Buigues A.

Abstract Background and Aim The use of prosthetic knee replacements currently represent an alternative for patients who suffer from severe gonarthrosis. Treatment via the technique of ultrasound-guided percutaneous neuromodulation (US-guided PNM) is a therapeutic alternative worth considering as a new tool in physical therapy for the post-surgical recovery of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with US-guided PNM in the post-surgical stage among patients intervened with TKA. Material and Methods Patients were selected between February and May 2017 at the Hospital of Denia and were randomly assigned into two groups. The initial sample was 13 patients. The experimental group (n = 7) received treatment with US-guided PNM plus conventional treatment. The control group (n = 6) only received conventional physiotherapy treatment. Patients in the experimental group received an application of PNM, which consisted of an alternate low frequency current at 10 Hz¸ pulse width 250 μs, with an intensity to the pain threshold. The intervention was performed during four consecutive weeks after hospital discharge. The control group received conventional treatment based on manual therapy, active mobilization and the use of the arthromotor until 115° of knee flexion and 0° knee extension was achieved. The main clinical variables evaluated were pain, measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), quality of life, based on physical and mental components, using the SF12 scale and functional assessment using the Oxford Knee Score. Lastly, pain, stiffness and functional capacity was measured using the WOMAC scale. Results Both groups obtained statistically significant results in the four variables evaluated compared to the pre-surgery stage, however, the changes were more evident in the intervention group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the variables evaluated regarding quality of life between the experimental and control group except for the emotional component of the SF-12 scale, where the result was only significant in the experimental group treated with US-guided PNM (P < 0.05). Regarding the improvement in the health status and decreased pain in the postoperative stage after TKA, no significant differences were observed between groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion The application of the US-guided PNM technique provides greater benefits than conventional therapy for decreasing the post-surgical pain in patients who have undergone knee arthroplasty and for emotional function, evaluated using the SF-12 questionnaire.


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