Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2022 Mar 1;23(3):851-860. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2022.23.3.851.
Globally, cancer is one of the main causes of death. Nonetheless, the estimate for Middle Eastern countries is high and rising. Furthermore, there is a paucity of evidence on effective rehabilitation measures for treatment of cancer patients, particularly head and neck cancer patients. As a result, the purpose of this study is to enlist current physical therapy clinical practice adopted by physiotherapists for the assessment and treatment of patients with head and neck cancer in United Arab Emirates.
A total of 100 survey questionnaires were sent via e-mail to physical therapists across the United Arab Emirates 's oncology rehabilitation centers for this cross-sectional study. Physical therapists having a valid license and at least one year of experience treating patients with head and neck cancer were included in the study. The collected responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
The total questionnaires generated a response rate of 56% of the targeted population. A percentage of 67% of the survey marked "Always or Frequently" by more than 50% of responders. Components aiming at the musculoskeletal system in both assessment and management were used more than those targeting the cardiopulmonary system. Functional capacity and Quality of Life measures were not given as much attention however 50% of responders reported using the Fatigue and Severity Scale (FSS). Mobilization was notably marked in management, especially Upper Extremity Training which was utilized by 86.4% of responders. Educational tips components all ranged around 40-60% except for Breathing Exercise which peaked at 85.7% of the responders.
Assessment measures predominantly focused on functional impairment measures of the upper limb, including functions related to mandible, tongue, mouth opening, and neck movement. Treatment patterns on the other hand predominantly centred on functionally related exercises as upper limb training, breathing exercises, and facial muscle exercise.
在全球范围内，癌症是主要死因之一。然而，中东国家的这一估计数字很高，而且还在不断上升。此外，关于癌症患者（尤其是头颈部癌症患者）治疗的有效康复措施的证据很少。因此，本研究的目的是列出阿联酋目前物理治疗师对头颈部癌症患者进行评估和治疗所采用的物理治疗临床实践。
本横断面研究共向阿联酋肿瘤康复中心的物理治疗师发送了 100 份电子邮件调查。符合条件的物理治疗师需具备有效执照，且至少有一年治疗头颈部癌症患者的经验。使用描述性统计方法分析收集到的回复。
共收到 100 份问卷，目标人群的回复率为 56%。67%的调查者在评估和管理中针对肌肉骨骼系统的部分标记为“经常或总是”，且超过 50%的回复者选择该选项。与心肺系统相比，更多人使用针对肌肉骨骼系统的评估和管理组件。然而，功能能力和生活质量测量并未得到太多关注，50%的回复者报告使用疲劳和严重程度量表（FSS）。在管理中，尤其是在 86.4%的回复者中，上肢训练的应用中，特别强调了活动度的重要性。教育提示组件的范围均在 40-60%左右，除呼吸练习外，其使用率高达 85.7%。
评估方法主要侧重于上肢的功能障碍评估，包括与下颌、舌头、张口和颈部运动相关的功能。另一方面，治疗模式主要集中在上肢训练、呼吸练习和面部肌肉练习等与功能相关的运动上。
