Publications by authors named "Irene Teo"
Context: There has been growing interest in the role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as part of end-of-life care.
Objectives: This study prospectively examined the prevalence, predictors and outcomes of ingestible CAM use among cancer patients in their last year of life in Singapore.
Methods: This study (N = 427) utilized data across 12 months (four time points) prior to patient death.
Purpose: This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a three-session, psychological-based intervention to improve intimacy and sexuality outcomes among women with breast and gynaecologic cancer in Singapore.
Method: Patients from outpatient oncology clinics completed screeners for marital and sexual distress. Those who endorsed either marital or sexual distress were invited into the study, and were randomized to receive the intervention immediately or be waitlisted.
Importance: Understanding goals of care for terminally ill patients at the end of life is crucial to ensure that patients receive care consistent with their preferences.
Objectives: To investigate the patterns of goals of care among patient-caregiver dyads over the last years of the patient's life and the associations of the goals of care with patient-caregiver characteristics.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This prospective cohort study of 210 patient-caregiver dyads involved surveys every 3 months from July 8, 2016, until the patient's death or February 28, 2022.
Background And Objectives: Advanced cancer patients' understanding of their illness is key for making informed treatment decisions. Despite the known importance of patients' awareness of their disease prognosis, it is debatable whether this awareness is positively, negatively, or not associated with clinical and psychological outcomes among patients with advanced cancer. This paper aims to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with prognostic awareness and its association with quality of life (QoL), spiritual well-being, pain control, and psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer in Indonesia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The deathbed symbolizes a time when the patient is dangerously ill and where death is imminent. The memories of family caregivers during this time can potentially shape their meaning-making of the patient's death and bereavement adjustment. We aimed to understand the experiences of family caregivers at the deathbed of patients receiving palliative care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To evaluate the measurement properties of the 15-item Singapore Caregiver Quality of Life Scale (SCQOLS-15) in family caregivers of patients with heart diseases.
Methods: The SCQOLS-15 survey was self-administered by family caregivers of patients with chronic heart diseases, at baseline and 1 week later. The criterion validity of SCQOLS-15 and its domain scores was assessed by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ) with the Brief Assessment Scale for Caregivers (BASC), Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA), and their sub-scores.
Article Synopsis
- Many young people in Singapore are showing signs of depression and anxiety, with about 11.7% and 12.8% respectively, and overall, around 16.2% have symptoms of at least one of these issues.!* -
- Kids dealing with these mental health problems miss a lot of school, averaging 190 hours a year, and their performance at school and in daily life suffers significantly.!* -
- The costs for healthcare related to these issues are really high, adding up to around S$1.2 billion a year, and a lot of young people aren’t getting the help they need yet.!*
Article Synopsis
- Some mothers choose to continue pregnancies despite life-limiting fetal conditions, but their experiences are not well understood, complicating the delivery of appropriate palliative care.* -
- This study involved interviews with 15 women in Singapore who shared their maternal experiences, revealing seven key themes including emotional turmoil, the impact of spirituality, and the need for better healthcare support.* -
- The findings highlight the importance of patient-centered, multidisciplinary, and non-judgmental perinatal palliative care, emphasizing the need to streamline healthcare processes to support mothers during this challenging time.*
Objectives: The article aims to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a short-term 3-day art therapy group for children who have experienced parental death to cancer.
Methods: The study utilized a pretest-posttest design and included children ( = 20) aged 7-12 years. The feasibility of the intervention was measured by recruitment ability, study compliance, and intervention adherence, while acceptability was assessed using a child-reported satisfaction survey.
Objectives: Body image adjustment is a crucial issue for patients with facial cancer, but body image-specific interventions are scarce. We report results of a novel psychotherapeutic intervention to address body image concerns during acute postoperative recovery following facial reconstructive surgery. Our primary aims were to evaluate the intervention's feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy on body image concerns, psychological distress, and quality of life (QOL).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study aimed to describe the quality of life (QOL) and psychological distress (anxiety and depression) of Filipino patients with advanced solid cancers and identify sociodemographic and clinical-related factors associated with them.
Methods: 195 patients with advanced cancer were recruited from a major hospital treating cancer patients in the Philippines. Participants completed self-reported surveys on Quality-of-life (QOL-FACT-G) and psychological distress (HADS-D, HADS-A).
Objective: A Universal Health Coverage goal is to provide access to affordable palliative care to reduce disparities in end-of-life (EOL) outcomes. To assess progress toward this goal in Sri Lanka, our primary aim was to systematically assess differences in patients' physical, psychological, social and spiritual outcomes, and their perceived quality of care by their socioeconomic status (SES).
Methods: As part of the multi-country APPROACH (Asian Patient Perspectives Regarding Oncology Awareness, Care and Health) study, we surveyed 199 patients with a stage IV solid malignant tumor and aged >21 years from the largest government cancer hospital in Sri Lanka.
Article Synopsis
- The study explored the psychological distress experienced by both advanced cancer patients and their caregivers in Singapore, revealing four distinct joint trajectory groups based on their anxiety and depression levels.
- A significant portion of dyads experienced persistent or increasing mental health issues, with certain factors like age, emotional closeness, and financial strain influencing their distress levels.
- The findings highlight the need for tailored psychological support for these dyads, particularly targeting those at higher risk for worsening distress.
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are leading causes of disability and premature mortality. At a global level, over 300 million people are estimated to suffer from major depressive disorders, equivalent to 4·4% of the world's population. Pandemic era stressors have increased rates for depression and anxiety by upwards of 25%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with advanced cancer prioritise health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in end-of-life care, however an understanding of pre-death HrQoL trajectories is lacking. We aimed to delineate and describe the trajectories of physical, social, emotional and functional HrQoL during last year of life among advanced cancer patients. We assessed associations between these trajectories and patient socio-demographic characteristics, healthcare use and place of death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We investigated the variation in patient-reported decision-making roles in the past year of life among patients with metastatic solid cancer and the associations of these roles with patient quality of life and perceived quality of care.
Methods: We used the last year of life data of 393 deceased patients from a prospective cohort study. Patients reported their decision-making roles, quality of life (emotional well-being, spiritual well-being, and psychological distress) and perceived quality of care (care coordination and physician communication) every 3 months until death.
Background: Little research has examined changes in prognostic awareness (PA) in the last year of life and the extent PA change was associated with anxiety, depression, and spiritual well-being among metastatic cancer patients.
Methods: Two surveys were administered in the last year of life to 176 conveniently sampled Singaporean patients with stage 4 solid cancers. PA was assessed by asking patients whether they were aware that their treatments were unlikely to cure their cancer.
Objectives: Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) may be at greater risk of suffering from psychological distress compared to the general population. This study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness practice as delivered using on psychological and cognitive outcomes among HCWs in Singapore.
Methods: A total of 80 HCWs were recruited and randomly assigned to engage in either 3 weeks (10 min/day) of mindfulness practice using or an active control condition (; involving playing cognitive games).
Background: Nurses' burnout and psychological well-being are a significant concern during the pandemic.
Aims: The aim of this study is to (i) examine the level of burnout, anxiety, depression, perceived stress and self-rated health for nurses at two time-points, 2020 and 2021, and (ii) examine the socio-demographic characteristics, work-related factors and perceived workplace support factors in relation to the level of burnout.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a longitudinal approach.
Background: Despite medical advancements, pain is a major source of suffering at the end of life for patients with a solid metastatic cancer. We aimed to assess the trajectory of pain prevalence, severity, interference, and inadequacy of analgesia during the last year of life.
Methods: We analysed data from the last year of life of 345 decedents from a prospective cohort study of 600 patients with a solid metastatic cancer in Singapore.
Objective: To longitudinally examine caregiver-reported treatment decision-making roles and to investigate the associations of these roles with caregiver burden, caregiving esteem, caregiver anxiety, and depression.
Methods: 281 caregivers of patients with stage IV solid cancers were recruited from outpatient clinics in Singapore. Caregivers were eligible if they were aged ≥21 y, primary informal caregiver, and involved in treatment decision making.
Awareness and Utilization of Palliative Care Among Advanced Cancer Patients in Asia.
J Pain Symptom Manage
October 2022
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates palliative care (PC) awareness, utilization, and barriers among advanced cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries in Asia, revealing a low overall awareness rate of 30.8%.
- Higher education, better economic status, understanding disease severity, and severe pain are linked to increased awareness of PC services.
- Major barriers to utilization include ongoing anti-cancer treatment and insufficient information about PC, indicating a need for targeted efforts to improve awareness, particularly among disadvantaged groups.
Article Synopsis
- * They found five main areas where healthcare workers had unmet needs, which were based on a famous theory called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
- * The results could help improve future support and workplace rules for healthcare workers during health crises.
Objectives: This study examined the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and job burnout among frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) across six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. We also investigated the associated risk and protective factors.
Methods: Frontline HCWs (N = 1381) from the participating countries participated between 4 January and 14 June 2021.