The Physical Health of Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer and the Psychological Health of their Family Caregivers When Newly Enrolled in Hospice.
The Physical Health of Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer and the Psychological Health of their Family Caregivers When Newly Enrolled in Hospice.
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DOI：
10.1097/njh.0000000000000154
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发表时间：
2015-05
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
McMillan SC
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Sherman DW;McMillan SC
With virtually no early detection methods and limited treatment options, pancreatic cancer is a deadly form of cancer, presenting significant symptoms and a compressed illness trajectory affecting not only the patients but also their family caregivers. The purpose of this study was to describe the most commonly occurring symptoms and level of associated distress of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer as well as the perceived social support, perceived health, and depressive symptoms of their family caregiver when newly enrolled in hospice. The study was descriptive in design, and the sample consisted of 64 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and their family caregivers, who were newly enrolled in hospice. The results showed that 50% or more of the patients with advanced pancreatic cancer suffer from symptoms of fatigue, lack of appetite, dry mouth, pain, feeling drowsy, and feeling sad. Of those symptoms, the ones causing the patients the most distress were fatigue, pain, and having no appetite. In measuring perceived social support, caregivers were most satisfied with emotional support and rated their perceived health as fair to good with relatively low depressive symptoms. Further research is needed regarding the effectiveness of hospice care on the assessment and management of intractable symptoms experienced by patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Caregivers’ perceptions of social support may be related to their perceived health and low depressive symptoms upon enrollment in hospice, but further research of these relationships is warranted as well as the impact of patients’ physical health on caregivers’ health.
