Health Utilities in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan.

We aimed to measure health utilities in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in Taiwan and to estimate the impact of common DM-related complications and adverse effects (AEs) on health utilities. The present study was a cross-sectional survey of DM patients at a metropolitan hospital. Respondents' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed by the EQ-5D-5L, and ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression was used to estimate the impact of self-reported DM-related complications and AEs on health utilities after controlling for age, gender, and duration of DM.

Supportive Care and Unmet Needs in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: Screening and Related Factors.

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer treatment can cause physical and psychological distress and may result in unmet needs. The purposes of this study were to (1) examine the levels of gastrointestinal (GI) symptom distress, social support, and supportive care needs; (2) screen the priorities of unmet supportive care needs; and (3) identify the factors associated with supportive care needs among UGI cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This cross-sectional study examined UGI cancer patients who received treatment from the outpatient chemotherapy department of a single cancer center in northern Taiwan.

Utility of Palliative Prognostic Index in Predicting Survival Outcomes in Patients With Hematological Malignancies in the Acute Ward Setting.

Background: The palliative prognostic index (PPI) predicts the life expectancy of patients with terminally ill cancer in hospice settings. This study aimed to evaluate PPI as a prognostic tool for predicting the life expectancy of patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the acute ward.

Methods: A total of 308 patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the hematological ward at a medical center between January 2016 and December 2017 were consecutively enrolled.

The Misconceptions and Determinants of Diabetes Knowledge in Patients with Diabetes in Taiwan.

Aim: This study aimed at (1) examining the misconceptions of patients with diabetes in Taiwan and (2) examining the association between patients' diabetes knowledge and their demographic characteristics.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at a metropolitan hospital in northern Taiwan. A total of 501 outpatients with diabetes were recruited, mostly from the hospital's endocrinology and metabolism clinic, nephrology clinic, and dialysis center.