Quality of life of adolescents cancer patients as perceived by patients, nurses and mothers

Abstract EN

Background : assessment of Quality of Life (QOL) is becoming an integral part of patient care and is considered an essential component in evaluating health care outcomes.

In adolescents, the challenge of coping with cancer, the threatening diagnosis, its repeated treatment cycles and the need for frequent hospitalization that limits school attendance and other social activities is expected to have great impact on the quality of life of adolescents.

With the relatively young age structure of Egyptian population and the increasing number of cancer survivors, understanding how adolescents with cancer feel and how disease and treatment affect QOL as perceived by patients, nurses and parents became an important challenge.

Aim of work : the aim of the present study was to assess the QOL of adolescents with cancer.

The study also aimed at evaluation of the concordance of QOL as perceived by nurses and mothers on one hand and by patients on the other.

Material and Methods : a generic QOL inventory was adapted, translated into Arabic and subjected to validity and reliability.

It was administered to 150 patients, 13-18 years old, in the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, their mothers and nurses caring for them.

Results : the domains of positive concern as perceived by patients were symptoms distress and anxiety related to treatment, followed by body image and psychological wellbeing.

The least was physical wellbeing.

Conclusion : generally, there was a high concordance between nurses and patients and mothers and patients.

Nurses tended to overestimate the importance of psychological wellbeing.

They tended to underestimate cognitive abilities.

Mothers tended to overestimate anxiety related to treatment and underestimate cognitive abilities.