scholarly journals Quality of Life Assessment Among Patients Living With Hepatosplenic Schistosomiasis and Schistosomal Myeloradiculopathy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana Júnia Roriz ◽  
Thiago Almeida Pereira ◽  
Guilherme Vaz de Melo Trindade ◽  
Júlia Fonseca de Morais Caporali ◽  
José Roberto Lambertucci
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hepatosplenic Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is a major public health problem in tropical areas of the world. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurement is being widely used to evaluate the impact of a disease or treatment in several aspects of daily life. However, few studies evaluated the impact of severe forms of schistosomiasis on HRQOL of affected individuals and compared them to healthy controls with a similar socio-demographic background. Our aims were to evaluate the HRQOL in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HS) and schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SMR) and healthy volunteers (HV) and determine if clinical complications of the disease are associated with HRQOL scores. We interviewed and evaluated the HRQOL in 49 patients with HS, 22 patients with SMR, and 26 HV from an outpatient clinic of the Federal University of Minas Gerais University Hospital using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. SMR and HS patients had a significantly lower overall quality of life score when comparing with the HV control group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.005, respectively). Multivariate ordinal regression model adjusted for sex, age, and educational level indicated that HS and SMR patients have three and five times more chances of having a lower quality of life than healthy volunteers (Odds Ratio 3.13 and 5.04, respectively). There was no association between complications of HS disease and quality of life scores. In contrast, worse quality of life was observed in SMR patients that presented back or leg pain, leg paresthesia, and bladder dysfunction. In conclusion, HS and SMR significantly impact the overall quality of life of the affected individuals, reinforcing the importance of efforts to control and eradicate this debilitating disease and suggesting that multidisciplinary clinical management of schistosomiasis patients would be more appropriate and could potentially improve patient's quality of life.

scholarly journals SQoF-WEAR Project. The Use of Wearable Devices to Identify the Impact of Stress on Workers’ Quality of Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Patricia Concheiro-Moscoso ◽  
Betania Groba ◽  
Sílvia Monteiro-Fonseca ◽  
Nereida Canosa ◽  
Cristina Queirós
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
The University ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

(1) Background: Stress is a major public health problem due to its relevant health, social and economic repercussions. Moreover, stress can be associated with work; when stress increases over time, burnout can occur, an occupational phenomenon recognized by the WHO in 2019. There is interest in the use of wearable devices to monitor and control stressors and their influence on the condition of workers. This study aims to identify the level of job stress and its influence on the quality of life of workers. (2) Methods:This longitudinal study was carried out between the end of May and mid-July 2021. Three assessment tools along with a daily and a weekly questionnaire were computerized through the RedCap platform. The participants had to fill out the diary and weekly questionnaires and wear a Xiaomi Mi Band 5 during the project. (3) Results and discussion: Thirty-six workers from the University of Coruña and from the University of Porto participated in the project. This study promotes the awareness of workers regarding their work stress and the influence of this factor on their quality of life using physiological (e.g., activity, sleep, and heart rate) and psychological indicators (self-report questionnaires in different moments).

scholarly journals The dynamics of recovery processes of physical activity of people who recovered from COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3C) ◽  
pp. 607-612
Author(s):  
Sergey Kokhan ◽  
Elena Romanova ◽  
Vladislav Dychko ◽  
Elena Dychko ◽  
Danil Dychko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Breathing Exercises ◽  
Rehabilitation Programs ◽  
Recovery Processes ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
The Impact

The article shows the results of physical therapy of those who have had coronavirus infection COVID-19 and who have completed a month's course of physical rehabilitation as a part of rehabilitation measures in the conditions of the innovative clinic "Academy of Health". The aim of the research is to study the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation programs for patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. The implementation of special breathing exercises made it possible to improve the oxygen saturation in the blood, to reduce shortness of breath and indicators of respiratory symptoms.  The tolerance to exercise has increased; physical activity and the quality of life of patients with pneumonia associated with COVID-19 have improved. The best results of the EQ-5D quality of life assessment were recorded in the experimental group compared to the control group.

scholarly journals Quality of Life in Cured Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

2008 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrieke C. Hoftijzer ◽  
Karen A. Heemstra ◽  
Eleonora P. M. Corssmit ◽  
Agatha A. van der Klaauw ◽  
Johannes A. Romijn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Thyroid Carcinoma ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Group I ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the impact of cured differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) on quality of life. Previous studies on quality of life in patients with DTC were hampered by small patient numbers or limited quality-of-life parameters or were uncontrolled. Design: This was a cross-sectional case-control study. Method: We assessed quality of life in 153 cured DTC patients with a median duration of cure of 6.34 yr (range 0.3–41.8) and studied the contribution of disease-specific, biochemical, and social variables, focusing on the degree of TSH suppression. Four validated health-related questionnaires were used (Short Form-36, Multidimensional Fatigue Index-20, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Somatoform Disorder Questionnaire), including multiple aspects of physical, psychological, and social functioning. Patients were compared with 113 controls selected by patients themselves (control group I) and 336 pooled age- and gender-matched controls from other Leiden quality-of-life studies (control group II). Results: Patients had significantly decreased quality of life in 11 of 16 subscales when compared with control group I. In comparison with control group II, decreased scores in 13 of 16 items were observed. An important independent predictor for quality of life was duration of cure. Quality-of-life parameters were not influenced by serum TSH levels both measured at the time of quality-of-life assessment and measured over time since initial therapy. Conclusions: Patients cured for DTC have impaired quality of life, independently of TSH level. Quality-of-life parameters were inversely affected by duration of cure and consequently may be restored after prolonged follow-up.

scholarly journals Impact of schistosomiasis on quality of life and productivity of workers

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 354-362
Author(s):  
M. I. Kamel
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Hours Of Work ◽  
Productivity Indicators ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
General Physical ◽  
Textile Factory ◽  
The Impact

The effect of schistosomiasis on quality of life [QOL] and productivity of workers was examined. In a textile factory in Alexandria, Egypt, personal, occupational and sociodemographic data were collected from 172 workers with schistosomiasis and 172 workers without schistosomiasis. Several indicators of productivity and the World Health Organization QOL brief were used to determine the impact of schistosomiasis. The disease affected the general, physical and independence, psychological and spiritual, and social domains of QOL. Although the productivity score of workers with schistosomiasis did not differ significantly from the control group, they had significantly lower additional hours of work and lower total incentives/month. A significant relationship was found between severity of schistosomiasis and QOL domains and productivity indicators.

scholarly journals Computerized Quality of Life Assessment: A Randomized Experiment to Determine the Impact of Individualized Feedback on Assessment Experience (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daan Geerards ◽  
Andrea Pusic ◽  
Maarten Hoogbergen ◽  
René van der Hulst ◽  
Chris Sidey-Gibbons
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Computerized Adaptive Testing ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
World Health ◽  
Quality Of Life Assessment ◽  
Fixed Length ◽  
Graphical Feedback ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Quality of life (QoL) assessments, or patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), are becoming increasingly important in health care and have been associated with improved decision making, higher satisfaction, and better outcomes of care. Some physicians and patients may find questionnaires too burdensome; however, this issue could be addressed by making use of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). In addition, making the questionnaire more interesting, for example by providing graphical and contextualized feedback, may further improve the experience of the users. However, little is known about how shorter assessments and feedback impact user experience. OBJECTIVE We conducted a controlled experiment to assess the impact of tailored multimodal feedback and CAT on user experience in QoL assessment using validated PROMs. METHODS We recruited a representative sample from the general population in the United Kingdom using the Oxford Prolific academic Web panel. Participants completed either a CAT version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-CAT) or the fixed-length WHOQOL-BREF, an abbreviated version of the WHOQOL-100. We randomly assigned participants to conditions in which they would receive no feedback, graphical feedback only, or graphical and adaptive text-based feedback. Participants rated the assessment in terms of perceived acceptability, engagement, clarity, and accuracy. RESULTS We included 1386 participants in our analysis. Assessment experience was improved when graphical and tailored text-based feedback was provided along with PROMs (Δ=0.22, P<.001). Providing graphical feedback alone was weakly associated with improvement in overall experience (Δ=0.10, P=.006). Graphical and text-based feedback made the questionnaire more interesting, and users were more likely to report they would share the results with a physician or family member (Δ=0.17, P<.001, and Δ=0.17, P<.001, respectively). No difference was found in perceived accuracy of the graphical feedback scores of the WHOQOL-CAT and WHOQOL-BREF (Δ=0.06, P=.05). CAT (stopping rule [SE<0.45]) resulted in the administration of 25% fewer items than the fixed-length assessment, but it did not result in an improved user experience (P=.21). CONCLUSIONS Using tailored text-based feedback to contextualize numeric scores maximized the acceptability of electronic QoL assessment. Improving user experience may increase response rates and reduce attrition in research and clinical use of PROMs. In this study, CAT administration was associated with a modest decrease in assessment length but did not improve user experience. Patient-perceived accuracy of feedback was equivalent when comparing CAT with fixed-length assessment. Fixed-length forms are already generally acceptable to respondents; however, CAT might have an advantage over longer questionnaires that would be considered burdensome. Further research is warranted to explore the relationship between assessment length, feedback, and response burden in diverse populations.

The effect of new method of suspension on quality of life, satisfaction, and suspension in patients with finger prostheses

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Arazpour ◽  
Mohammad A Mardani ◽  
Mahmood Bahramizadeh ◽  
Fereydoun Layeghi ◽  
Fatemeh Zarezadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
New Method ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Finger Amputation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Finger Prosthesis

Background: The use of a finger prosthesis following finger amputation is a common approach that is linked to many factors. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new method of suspension on quality of life, satisfaction, and suspension in these patients. Study design: Quasi-experimental. Method: A total of 24 patients with finger amputation and 12 healthy subjects as control group participated in this study. Two types of finger prostheses with conventional suction suspension and new method suspension were provided. A force gauge was used to evaluate suspension force along with a World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire instrument. Satisfaction of the prosthesis was also evaluated using a visual analog scale. Results: There was significant difference in quality of life assessment between the patient group and healthy control group, but there was no statistical difference ( p > 0.05) between the two patients groups at baseline and after prosthesis use. Using finger prosthesis improved all domains after prosthesis wearing in patients with finger amputations. There were significant differences ( p < 0.05) between the two types of prosthesis in terms of suspension and satisfaction. Conclusion: Wearing the prosthesis with the new method of suspension had an effective role in terms of providing suspension and an increase in satisfaction in patients with finger amputation. Clinical relevance Patients with finger amputation usually use a prosthesis with a simple suspension technique, yet many of these patients experience atrophy and subsequently loss of appropriate suspension. This paper presents a new method of suspension and showed that using this approach improved satisfaction and suspension in patients with finger amputation.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Smartphone-based Application on Stress Reduction: a Randomized Control Trial (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunchan Hwang ◽  
Sun Mi Kim ◽  
Bo Netterstrøm ◽  
Doug Hyun Han
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Randomized Control Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
World Health Organization Quality ◽  
Randomized Control

BACKGROUND Stress management within the workplace is important for a healthy mental and physical state. Due to technological advancements, individual-tailored therapy as well as online cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is on the rise. OBJECTIVE This study analyzed the efficacy of a smartphone application based on third-wave CBT tailored to the individual. METHODS A randomized control trial was conducted on 126 participants who were divided into two groups. The intervention group used the smartphone application “BetterLife” for 10 weeks whilst the control group was put on a waiting list for the same duration. The Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS), Korean Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 (UWES), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment, abbreviated (WHOQOL), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were conducted at baseline and after 10 weeks in both groups. RESULTS Out of the 126 particiapnts, 11 dropped out during the trial. Two-way repeated measure analysis of covariance was conducted controlling for baseline BDI. There were greater improvements in PSS (F=24.33, P <.001, η2=0.17) and UWESK scores (F=8.32, P =.0046, η2=0.06) in the intervention group compared to the control group. WHOQOL scores exhibited statistically significance interactions in the intervention group in the overall quality of life (F=8.19, P =.0049, η2=0.06), and physical health (F= 8.87, P =.003, η2=0.07), psychological (F=13.32, P <.001, η2=0.10), social relationship (F= 19.43, P <.001, η2=0.14), and environmental domains (F= 10.14, P =.002, η2=0.08) but not in overall health (F= 1.68, P =.20). BDI showed a statistically significant improvement in the intervention group (F=7.17, P =.008, η2=0.06) as well as BAI (F=6.00, P =.02, η2=0.05), but this significance did not survive the Bonferroni’s correction (P <.005). CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence that a smartphone application-based CBT is a viable option for reducing stress in the workplace. CLINICALTRIAL This trial has been registered in the Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0003231), a member of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

scholarly journals Influence of Sexual Function on the Social Relations and Quality of Life of Women with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (02) ◽  
pp. 066-071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Yela ◽  
Patricia Soares ◽  
Cristina Benetti-Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ovarian Insufficiency ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Objective To evaluate the impact of sexual function (SF) in the quality of life (QoL) of women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). Methods Case-control study in which 80 women with POI were evaluated using estrogen plus progestogen therapy, compared with 80 women matched by age (±2 years) and presenting preserved gonadal function. Sexual function was evaluated using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the QoL was evaluated using the World Health Organization's (WHO) QoL assessment instrument (WHOQoL-BREF). Results The mean age of the women with POI and of the control group was 38.4 ± 7.3 years and 38.1 ± 7.3 years respectively. The QoL, was worse among the POI group, and there were significant differences in the physical (63.4 ± 17.4 and 72.7 ± 15.2 respectively, p = 0.0004) and psychological (63.2 ± 14.6 and 69.3 ± 13.9 respectively, p = 0.0075) domains among this group when compared with the control group. Women with POI presented significantly lower arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction, more dyspareunia and a worse FSFI scores when compared with the control group. All aspects of SF correlate directly with the worsening of the QoL regarding social relationships. Conclusion Women with POI showed worse QoL and SF than the control group. The psychological aspects (desire, excitement, orgasm and sexual satisfaction) of SF had greater influence on the parameters of the QoL, while the physical aspects (pain and lubrication) had a low impact on the QoL. The poor SF in women with POI is directly correlated with a worsening across multiple domains of the QoL; however, the negative impact is particularly important in the social domain. These results suggest that the improvement in sexuality can improve the social interactions of women with POI.

Voice Activity and Participation Profile

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estella P-M. Ma ◽  
Edwin M-L. Yiu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Activity Limitation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Participation Restriction ◽  
Restricted Participation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Voice Problem

Traditional clinical voice evaluation focuses primarily on the severity of voice impairment, with little emphasis on the impact of voice disorders on the individual’s quality of life. This study reports the development of a 28-item assessment tool that evaluates the perception of voice problem, activity limitation, and participation restriction using the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps-2 Beta-1 concept (World Health Organization, 1997). The questionnaire was administered to 40 subjects with dysphonia and 40 control subjects with normal voices. Results showed that the dysphonic group reported significantly more severe voice problems, limitation in daily voice activities, and restricted participation in these activities than the control group. The study also showed that the perception of a voice problem by the dysphonic subjects correlated positively with the perception of limitation in voice activities and restricted participation. However, the self-perceived voice problem had little correlation with the degree of voice-quality impairment measured acoustically and perceptually by speech pathologists. The data also showed that the aggregate scores of activity limitation and participation restriction were positively correlated, and the extent of activity limitation and participation restriction was similar in all except the job area. These findings highlight the importance of identifying and quantifying the impact of dysphonia on the individual’s quality of life in the clinical management of voice disorders.

Effectiveness of mobile applications on healthy lifestyles aimed at diabetic patients: review of systematic reviews. (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Jesús Represas Carrera Sr ◽  
Ángel Alfredo Martínez Ques Sr ◽  
Ana Clavería Fontán Sr
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Healthy Lifestyles ◽  
Major Public Health Problem

BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is currently a major public health problem worldwide. It is traditionally approached in a clinical inpatient relationship between the patient and the healthcare professional. However, the rise of new technologies, particularly mobile applications, is revolutionizing the traditional healthcare model through the introduction of telehealthcare. OBJECTIVE (1) To assess the effects of mobile applications for improving healthy lifestyles on the quality of life and metabolic control of diabetes mellitus in adult patients. (2) To describe the characteristics of the mobile applications used, identify the healthy lifestyles they target, and describe any adverse effects their use may have. METHODS Review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis, following the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration and the Joanna Briggs Institute. We included studies that used any mobile application aimed at helping patients improve self-management of diabetes mellitus by focusing on healthy lifestyles. Studies needed to include a control group receiving regular care without the use of mobile devices. In May 2018, a search was conducted in Medline, Embase, Cochrane, LILACS, PsychINFO, Cinahl and Science Direct, updated in May 2019. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Amstar-2 tool. RESULTS Seven systematic reviews of 798 articles were initially selected for analysis. The interventions had a duration of between 1 and 12 months. Mobile applications focused singly or simultaneously on different lifestyles aspects (diet, physical exercise, motivation, blood glucose levels, etc.). There are significant changes in HbA1c values, body weight and BMI, although in others, such as lipid profile, quality of life, or blood pressure, there is no clear improvement. CONCLUSIONS There is clear evidence that the use of mobile applications improves glycemic control in diabetic patients in the short term. There is a lack of evidence in its long-term benefits. It is thus necessary to carry out further studies to learn about the long-term effectiveness of mobile applications aimed at promoting the healthy lifestyles of diabetic patients. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO Register: CRD42019133685

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