Jordan M L, Delunas L R
LifeCare Program-Clarian Health Partners, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Oncol Nurs Forum. 2001 Aug;28(7):1107-13.
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of patients with cancer that may be associated with use of or interest in nontraditional healthcare practices or therapies.
Descriptive study using survey methodology with a large convenience sample.
Private, outpatient, adult hematology/oncology practice in the midwestern United States.
89 outpatients who had received, were currently receiving, or were scheduled to receive chemotherapy for cancer. Participants ranged in age from 21-88 years (X = 63.26), were predominately Caucasian and female, and had a high school education.
Patients presenting for treatment were handed surveys and asked to mail them back to the investigators. Instruments included Ferrans and Powers' Quality of Life (QOL) Index--Cancer Version and a questionnaire designed for the purpose of this study to obtain demographic information and information regarding interest in or use of nontraditional therapy (NT). Data were analyzed for frequency of use, interest in using NT, and relationship between use/interest and quality of life.
QOL, using NT.
34 (39.5%) of the respondents initiated use of NT after receiving a diagnosis of cancer; they were more commonly female, less than 65 years of age, and more highly educated. New users of NT tended to have known about their diagnosis longer, had experienced a recurrence or metastasis, and had been told that the possibility of cure was unlikely. QOL scores were higher among new users versus continuous users of various individual categories of NT.
Adult patients with cancer in this study sample very commonly used nontraditional healthcare practices; more than one-third initiated their use after diagnosis.
Practitioners are challenged and encouraged to become more knowledgeable regarding NT therapy use and more sensitive to issues surrounding patients' decisions to use them.
目的/目标：描述可能与使用非传统医疗保健方法或疗法或对其感兴趣相关的癌症患者特征。
采用调查方法的描述性研究，样本为大型便利样本。
美国中西部的一家私立成人血液学/肿瘤学门诊。
89名已接受、正在接受或计划接受癌症化疗的门诊患者。参与者年龄在21至88岁之间（X = 63.26），主要为白种人且为女性，拥有高中学历。
向前来治疗的患者发放调查问卷，并要求他们寄回给研究者。工具包括费兰斯和鲍尔斯的生活质量（QOL）指数——癌症版，以及为本研究设计的一份问卷，以获取人口统计学信息以及关于对非传统疗法（NT）的兴趣或使用情况的信息。对数据进行分析，以了解使用频率、对使用NT的兴趣以及使用/兴趣与生活质量之间的关系。
生活质量、使用NT。
34名（39.5%）受访者在被诊断患有癌症后开始使用NT；他们更常见为女性，年龄小于65岁，且受教育程度更高。NT的新使用者往往已知晓其诊断时间更长，经历过复发或转移，且被告知治愈可能性不大。在各类NT的新使用者中，生活质量得分高于持续使用者。
本研究样本中的成年癌症患者非常普遍地使用非传统医疗保健方法；超过三分之一的人在诊断后开始使用。
从业者面临挑战并受到鼓励，要对NT疗法的使用有更多了解，对患者使用这些疗法的相关决策问题更加敏感。
