Yan Hu, Sellick Ken
School of Nursing, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Int J Nurs Stud. 2004 Mar;41(3):309-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2003.10.004.
Cancer of the gastrointestinal (GIT) tract is a major health problem in China. The aims of the study were to investigate quality of life of Chinese patients newly diagnosed with gastrointestinal (GIT) cancer, identify factors predicting quality of life, and to examine the pattern of stability and change in symptoms, psychosocial measures and quality of life over a 6 months period. A convenience sample of 146 newly diagnosed GIT cancer patients recruited from three major hospitals in Shanghai completed a self-report questionnaire initially and 6 months later. Results indicated that Chinese patients newly diagnosed with GIT cancer experience a range of symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment that resulted in varying degrees of symptom distress, anxiety and depression, and decreased quality of life. Findings from this research give insights into the importance of ongoing quality of life assessment, symptom management, and intervention to improve quality of life of Chinese cancer patients. It also raised questions about measures of quality of life that are culturally relevant.
胃肠道癌症是中国的一个重大健康问题。本研究的目的是调查新诊断为胃肠道癌症的中国患者的生活质量，确定预测生活质量的因素，并研究症状、心理社会指标和生活质量在6个月期间的稳定性和变化模式。从上海三家主要医院招募的146名新诊断为胃肠道癌症的患者组成了一个便利样本，他们在最初和6个月后完成了一份自我报告问卷。结果表明，新诊断为胃肠道癌症的中国患者经历了一系列与癌症及其治疗相关的症状，这些症状导致了不同程度的症状困扰、焦虑和抑郁，并降低了生活质量。本研究结果揭示了持续进行生活质量评估、症状管理和干预以改善中国癌症患者生活质量的重要性。它还引发了关于具有文化相关性的生活质量测量方法的问题。
