scholarly journals “Her Illness Is a Project We Can Work on Together”

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rintell ◽  
Richard Melito

This article presents a model for intervening with families that are addressing a new diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in one member. The model is collaborative, integrative, and family-centered. It involves both working with the family collaboratively and providing strategies to promote greater collaboration within the family. The model integrates elements of crisis intervention theory, psycho-education, and family-centered approaches. The model was developed with families addressing MS, and was piloted with three families. The intervention was found to improve family members' ability to collaborate with each other. Such increased collaboration may enhance the family's ability to manage long-term illness more effectively, help the family address the impact of the illness on all family members, and generally improve the family's quality of life.

Author(s):  
Cristina Jenaro ◽  
Noelia Flores ◽  
Belén Gutiérrez-Bermejo ◽  
Vanessa Vega ◽  
Carmen Pérez ◽  
...  

(1) Background. This study assesses the quality of life in families with a member with an intellectual disability using the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response framework. (2) Methods. The study included 515 Spanish participants whose family members with disabilities range in age from infancy to adulthood. We hypothesized that it is possible to predict parenting stress by paying attention to the meaning families give to themselves and their circumstances while controlling for the impact of other variables such as family capabilities and characteristics of the family member with disabilities. We used the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale and the section on Exceptional needs of medical and behavioral support from the Supports Intensity Scale, together with other potential predictors. The subscale on parental stress from the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form was utilized as a criterion measure. (3) Results. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that 49% of parental stress was predicted by dysfunctional interaction, difficult behaviors, low emotional wellbeing, poor family interaction, as well as kinship as parents, and the severity of both the medical needs and intellectual disability. (4) Conclusions. The stress experienced by those families is mostly predicted by the meaning they give to themselves and their circumstances. Implications of these findings for service delivery are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Young ◽  
Bhasker Amatya ◽  
Mary P. Galea ◽  
Fary Khan

AbstractBackground and purposePain is a common symptom associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), and has lasting effects on an individual’s functional capacity and quality of life. A wide range of prevalence rates of pain (between 23% and 90%)have been reported in MS and this is mainly due to the methodological differences amongst the studies such as variability in patient sources, method of sampling and the definition of pain used. Chronic pain in MS, defined as pain lasting for greater than 3–6 months, can have a significant impact on their biopsychosocial health, including negative impact on activities of daily living, relationships and social participation. The long-term course of MS-related pain and its impact in an Australian cohort over a 7-year period has been investigated earlier. The aim of this longitudinal study was to describe the impact of chronic pain, pain-related disability and carer burden in persons with MS over a 10-year period. The aim of this longitudinal study was to describe the impact of chronic pain, pain-related disability and carer burden in persons with MS over a 10-year period.MethodsThis was a prospective longitudinal study conducted at the Rehabilitation Department of Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), a tertiary referral hospital in Victoria and Australia. The source of participants was from the RMH MS database and contains detailed MS patient information including demographic data, diagnosis details (using McDonald’s criteria), pain characteristics. Structured face-face interviews and validated measures were used, which include the visual analogue scale (VAS); chronic pain grade (CPG); the assessment of quality of life (AQoL) and the carer strain index (CSI). The mean age of the participants (n = 70) was 55.3 years and majority (70%) were female.ResultsThe mean age of the participants (n = 70) was 55.3 years and majority (70%) were female. The findings show that over time (10 years), participants report having greater bilateral bodily pain and greater description of pain as ‘worse as it could be’. Pain types were similar to 7-years follow-up but remained higher than baseline. There was a significant deterioration in quality of life in those with more severe CPG over time. Almost half of the participants 31 (44%) required care either from a private carer, institution or from a family member. Although fear of taking medications and side effects were common barriers to treatment for pain, there was an increase in the use of pharmacological treatment over time and an increase in the use of healthcare services, mainly neurologists and general practitioners.ConclusionsThe pain measures reported by the participants were similar to those at the 7-year follow-up except there was a greater representation of bilateral pain locations (limb, trunk and facial pain) compared to baseline and 7-year follow-up. At 10-year follow-up, more participants used medications compared tc 7-year follow-up and there was an increase in the use of health professionals at the 10-year follow-up At the 10-year follow up QoL of the participants deteriorated significantly and more participants had progressed to higher CPGIII and CPGIV. This study demonstrates that chronic pain is a significant issue over time in MS, with clinical and health implications, impact on quality of life, disability and healthcare utilization.ImplicationsGreater awareness of chronic pain in pwMS, cognitive classifications and an interdisciplinary approach is required to improve long-term patient outcomes and well-being.Crown Copyright © 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. All rights reserved.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 65-66
Author(s):  
Michela Tinelli ◽  
Olina Efthymiadou ◽  
Jean Mossman ◽  
Panos Kanavos

INTRODUCTION:Multiple-sclerosis (MS) is a highly disabling chronic disorder affecting young adults with long term economic consequences on society that escalate as MS disability increases (1,2). In the long-term, progression of MS results in increased level of disability and most patients will eventually experience some degree of functional impairment of the nervous system that impacts on mobility as well as sensory and coordination issues, bladder and sexual functioning, and mood and cognitionon (2). This is usually accompanied by a deterioration of their quality of life. Patient relevant outcome measures (PROMS) are largely used to measure individual disability, and quality of life in MS (2). International evidence from the International Multiple Sclerosis Study (IMPrESS) (2) was used to quantify the relationship between healthcare resources utilisation and disability, quality of life in individuals with MS.METHODS:Multivariable logistic regression was performed in order to identify patient-related variables reporting disability (Barthel) and utility (EQ-5D) that predict use of healthcare services (visits to GP, specialists, nurses, hospitalisation and treatment) and work limitation within the participants of the IMPrESS.RESULTS:Reponses were collected from 1,152 individuals across 21 countries of which 74.3 percent (856) were useful for analysis. Preliminary findings indicated that for the pooled data sets both EQ-5D and Barthel scores were predictors of healthcare resource use, across different categories (p<.05), except for nurse visits (Barthel only; p<.09). Overall the association between PROM data and use of healthcare resources appeared to be stronger with EQ-5D compared to Barthel. EQ-5D appeared to also predict the impact of MS on loss of productivity (in terms of work limitation; p<.05).CONCLUSIONS:PROMs can be used to predict the economic consequences of MS on healthcare providers and society, but more research is needed to confirm the robustness of the evidence and its validity across individual healthcare system settings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S392-S392 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Lemmens ◽  
H. Hendrickx ◽  
C. Poppe ◽  
N. Roche ◽  
P. Peeters ◽  
...  

BackgroundTo date, psychosocial outcomes after facial transplantation are promising although long-term consequences, outcome of blind patients and the impact on family members are less well investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term psychosocial of a blind patient and his partner 2 and 3 years after facial transplantation.MethodsDepressive and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness, coping, resilience, illness cognitions, marital support, dyadic adjustment, family functioning and quality of life of the patient and the partner were assessed before and 2 and 3 years after transplantation. Reliable change index (RCI) was further calculated to evaluate the magnitude of change.ResultsMost psychological, marital and family scores of both the patient and the partner remained within a normative and healthy range at follow-up. Resilience (RCI: 2.5 & 3.4 respectively), affective responsiveness (RCI: −4.1 & −3.2 respectively), physical quality of life (RCI: 8.7 & 7.2 respectively) and helplessness (RCI: −2.2 & −2.9 respectively) of the patient improved at 2 and 3 years follow-up. Further, dyadic cohesion (RCI: 2.4) of the patient improved at 2 years whereas marital depth (RCI: −2.0) of the partner decreased at 3 years.ConclusionsThe results of this study point to positive long-term psychosocial outcomes of a blind patient and his partner after facial transplantation. Further, they may underscore the importance of patient selection, social support and involvement of family members in treatment.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 39-39
Author(s):  
Eva González ◽  
Alba Aza ◽  
Isabel Vicario-Molina ◽  
María Gómez-Vela ◽  
Mª Begoña Orgaz ◽  
...  

Introduction:Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are one of the major causes of dependency among older people. Since family members assume most of the care, the impact of NDs goes beyond the patient and affects the functioning of the entire family. Nonetheless, the concept of Family Quality of Life (FQOL) is still insufficiently developed in this field: the literature has focused on family caregivers from an individual perspective, paying less attention to the family unit. Hence, the objectives were to describe FQOL of people with NDs and to identify factors associated, from a holistic point of view.Method:The sample consisted of 300 family members of patients with NDs (70% females; mean age: 62.4) living in the cross-border region of Spain-Portugal, mostly in rural areas. The majority were primary caregivers. They completed the FQOLS–ND via telephone. This survey examined how the family perceived its FQOL at the global and domain-level, in terms of attainment and satisfaction (measured on a 5-point Likert scale). It also collected data on diverse respondents’ and family characteristics.Results:The average score in Global FQOL was 3.65 (SD = 0.70) for attainment and 3.69 (SD = 0.47) for satisfaction. By domains, the highest value was found in Family Relations and the lowest in Support from services. Twenty hierarchical multiple regressions examined the potential predictors of Global FQOL and the nine domains for attainment and satisfaction. Medium predictive values (from R2=.14 to R2=.20) were found in Financial wellbeing (satisfaction), Support from services, and Leisure. The number of perceived barriers to social-health services was a significant predictor in all the explanatory models (the most frequently cited being: long wait for service, services not available, problems with transportation, lack of information, and financial costs).Conclusions:These results confirm that NDs are especially challenging in rural areas, where families feel more isolated and have fewer opportunities to receive professional support. Therefore, there is a need to design of a specific portfolio of services, resources and benefits that involves the key sectors of family welfare (public, private, third sector and family) and brings them closer to these areas, covering all the needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (06) ◽  
pp. 378-388
Author(s):  
Vitória Mallmann Fedeger ◽  
Erica Pedri ◽  
Rosiane Guetter Mello ◽  
Alexandre Leal Laux

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the mindfulness-based interventions program on the quality of life of patients with Multiple Sclerosis. A systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes). For an updated perspective on the topic, the selected articles were published from March 2014 to March 2019. Thus, 10 articles were included in the review and were thoroughly compared. A detailed assessment was carried out to measure the impact of the mindfulness protocol both on the general quality of life and on its specific domains. It can be observed that there is some homogeneity of the results regarding the benefits of the practice of mindfulness in the patients’ general quality of life. Moreover, there was greater evidence of the effects of meditative practice on the psychological domain when compared to the physical domain. Hence, the present study considers the mindfulness program a viable tool to address quality of life in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. The lack of Brazilian studies in the area is highlighted. Also, further studies to evaluate the practice of mindfulness continuously, such as cohort studies, are necessary to elucidate the long-term effects of the protocol. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads G. Jørgensen ◽  
Navid M. Toyserkani ◽  
Frederik G. Hansen ◽  
Anette Bygum ◽  
Jens A. Sørensen

AbstractThe impact of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) on long-term quality of life is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of BCRL on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) up to 10 years after breast cancer treatment. This regional population-based study enrolled patients treated for breast cancer with axillary lymph node dissection between January 1st 2007 and December 31th 2017. Follow up and assessments of the included patients were conducted between January 2019 and May 2020. The study outcome was HRQoL, evaluated with the Lymphedema Functioning, Disability and Health Questionnaire, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire and the Short Form (36) Health Survey Questionnaire. Multivariate linear logistic regression models adjusted for confounders provided mean score differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals in each HRQoL scale and item. This study enrolled 244 patients with BCRL and 823 patients without BCRL. Patients with BCRL had significantly poorer HRQoL than patients without BCRL in 16 out of 18 HRQoL subscales, for example, in physical function (MDs 27, 95%CI: 24; 30), mental health (MDs 24, 95%CI: 21; 27) and social role functioning (MDs 20, 95%CI: 17; 23). Age, BMI, BCRL severity, hand and dominant arm affection had only minor impact on HRQoL (MDs < 5), suggesting a high degree of inter-individual variation in coping with lymphedema. This study showed that BCRL is associated with long-term impairments in HRQoL, especially affecting the physical and psychosocial domains. Surprisingly, BCRL diagnosis rather than clinical severity drove the largest impairments in HRQoL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Shah ◽  
F. M. Ali ◽  
A. Y. Finlay ◽  
M. S. Salek

Abstract Background A person’s chronic health condition or disability can have a huge impact on the quality of life (QoL) of the whole family, but this important impact is often ignored. This literature review aims to understand the impact of patients' disease on family members across all medical specialities, and appraise existing generic and disease-specific family quality of life (QoL) measures. Methods The databases Medline, EMBASE, CINHAL, ASSIA, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for original articles in English measuring the impact of health conditions on patients' family members/partner using a valid instrument. Results Of 114 articles screened, 86 met the inclusion criteria. They explored the impact of a relative's disease on 14,661 family members, mostly 'parents' or 'mothers', using 50 different instruments across 18 specialities including neurology, oncology and dermatology, in 33 countries including the USA, China and Australia. These studies revealed a huge impact of patients' illness on family members. An appraisal of family QoL instruments identified 48 instruments, 42 disease/speciality specific and six generic measures. Five of the six generics are aimed at carers of children, people with disability or restricted to chronic disease. The only generic instrument that measures the impact of any condition on family members across all specialities is the Family Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16). Although most instruments demonstrated good reliability and validity, only 11 reported responsiveness and only one reported the minimal clinically important difference. Conclusions Family members' QoL is greatly impacted by a relative's condition. To support family members, there is a need for a generic tool that offers flexibility and brevity for use in clinical settings across all areas of medicine. FROM-16 could be the tool of choice, provided its robustness is demonstrated with further validation of its psychometric properties.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Cihat Uzunköprü ◽  
Yesim Beckmann ◽  
Sabiha Türe

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy of fingolimod in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS); secondary aims were to describe the safety of fingolimod with the evaluation of treatment satisfaction and impact on the quality of life in real life. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We collected clinical, demographical, neuroradiological, and treatment data, including pre- and posttreatment status health-related quality of life from 286 MS patients consecutively treated with fingolimod. Clinical assessment was based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and quality of life assessment was performed with MS-related quality of life inventory (MSQOLI). The data were recorded at baseline and every 6 months for 2 years. <b><i>Results:</i></b> One hundred and fourteen males and 172 females were enrolled. The annualized relapse rate and EDSS showed a statistically significant reduction during the observation period (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). The patients also demonstrated substantial improvements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). Health-related quality of life scores improved significantly between baseline and 24-month visit (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). No serious adverse events occurred. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> In our cohort, fingolimod treatment was associated with reduced relapse, MRI activity, and improved EDSS and MSQOLI scores. Additionally, fingolimod has been able to maintain its effectiveness over a considerable long period of treatment.


Rheumatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 60 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosie Barnett ◽  
Anita McGrogan ◽  
Matthew Young ◽  
Charlotte Cavill ◽  
Mandy Freeth ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/Aims  Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic rheumatic condition, characterised by inflammatory back pain - often associated with impaired function and mobility, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and reduced quality of life. Despite the vast advances in pharmacological treatments for axSpA over the last few decades, physical activity and rehabilitation remain vital for effective disease management. At the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath (RNHRD), the 2-week inpatient axSpA rehabilitation programme has been integral to axSpA care since the 1970’s. Prior research has demonstrated significant short-term improvements in spinal mobility (BASMI), function (BASFI) and disease activity (BASDAI) following course attendance. However, the long-term outcomes are yet to be evaluated in this unique cohort. Methods  Since the early 1990’s, clinical measures of spinal mobility, function and disease activity have been routinely collected at the RNHRD at all clinical appointments through administration of the BASMI, BASFI and BASDAI, respectively. Dates of attending the axSpA course and standard clinical and treatment follow-up data were also collected. Multiple linear regression models were used to investigate the impact of course attendance on final reported BASMI, BASDAI and BASFI scores (final score=most recent). Length of follow-up was defined as time between first and last recorded BASMI. Results  Of the 203 patients within the Bath SPARC200 cohort, 77.8% (158/203) had attended at least one rehabilitation course throughout follow-up. 70.0% (140/203) of patients were male. The mean duration of follow-up was 13.5 years (range 0-35 years); 28.1% (57/203) of individuals with 20+ years of follow-up. Course attendance (yes versus no) significantly reduced final BASMI score by 0.84 (p = 0.001, 95%CI -1.31 to -0.37) and final BASDAI score by 0.74 (p = 0.018, 95%CI -1.34 to -0.13). Although course attendance reduced final BASFI by 0.45 (95%CI -1.17 to 0.28), this relationship did not reach significance (p = 0.225). Whilst minimally clinically important difference (MCID) is, to our knowledge, yet to be defined for BASMI, MCIDs were achieved long-term for both BASDAI and BASFI - defined by van der Heijde and colleagues in 2016 as 0.7 and 0.4 for BASDAI and BASFI, respectively. Conclusion  These results provide novel evidence to support the integral role of education, physical activity and rehabilitation in the management of axSpA. Future work should investigate additional outcomes of critical importance to patients and clinicians, such as fatigue, quality of life and work productivity. Furthermore, a greater understanding of the factors that confound these outcomes may provide insights into those patients who may most benefit from attending a 2-week rehabilitation course. In addition to facilitating identification of those patients who may require additional clinical support. Disclosure  R. Barnett: None. A. McGrogan: None. M. Young: None. C. Cavill: None. M. Freeth: None. R. Sengupta: Honoraria; Biogen, Celgene, AbbVie, Novartis, MSD. Grants/research support; Novartis, UCB.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document