Background: Unbearable suffering is an important issue in end-of-life decisions. However, there has been no systematic, prospective, patient-oriented research which has focused on unbearable suffering, nor is there a suitable measurement instrument. This article describes the methodological development of a quantitative instrument to measure the nature and intensity of unbearable suffering, practical aspects of its use in end-stage cancer patients in general practice, and studies content validity and psychometric properties.
Methods: Recognizing the conceptual difference between unbearability of suffering and extent or intensity of suffering, we developed an instrument. The compilation of aspects considered to be of importance was based on a literature search. Psychometric properties were determined on results of the first interviews with 64 end-stage cancer patients that participated in a longitudinal study in the Netherlands.
Results: The instrument measures five domains: medical signs and symptoms, loss of function, personal aspects, aspects of environment, and nature and prognosis of the disease. Sixty nine aspects were investigated, and an overall score was asked. In 64 end-stage cancer patients the instrument was used in total 153 times with an average interview time varying from 20-40 minutes. Cronbachs alpha's of the subscales were in majority above 0.7. The sum scores of (sub)scales were correlated strongly to overall measures on suffering.
Conclusion: The SOS-V is an instrument for measuring the unbearability of suffering in end-stage cancer patients with good content validity and psychometric properties, which is feasible to be used in practice. This structured instrument makes it possible to identify and study unbearable suffering in a quantitative and patient-oriented way.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2777135 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-684X-8-16 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Fractional erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser-assisted drug delivery: impact of triamcinolone acetonide formulation on drug permeation.
Drug Deliv Transl Res
December 2024
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Wanglang Road, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
Ablative fractional laser-assisted drug delivery has gained attention as a promising method for enhancing dermal drug absorption and improving therapeutic outcomes in dermatological conditions, particularly for hypertrophic and keloid scars. However, despite the growing number of clinical trials and case reports supporting its efficacy, there remains a scarcity of robust evidence on the topical bioavailability and dermato-pharmacokinetics of drugs in human subjects. This study aimed to examine the enhancement of triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) bioavailability following treatment with a fractional Erbium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Er: YAG) laser.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Aim: To determine the signs of society's readiness to legalize euthanasia for palliative patients by interviewing both the patients themselves and their relatives (caregivers) and specialists who provide medical, psychological, social and spiritual services at the end-of-life.
Patients And Methods: Materials and Methods: The study was carried out using a sociological method among palliative patients of three regions of Ukraine (Lviv, Kyiv and Kharkiv) on a random sample of 377 people surveyed during 2022-2024. The conducted research confirmed and clarified the previous results with greater reliability.
Spinal schwannoma presenting with intraspinal hematoma: a case report and review of the literature.
J Med Case Rep
December 2024
Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, 24 JingHua Road, Luoyang, 471000, Henan, China.
Background: Spinal schwannomas presenting with an intraspinal hematoma or subarachnoid hemorrhage are extremely rare, and patients often have severe spinal cord compression symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying the bleeding remains unclear.
Case Presentation: We present the case of a 53-year-old Chinese female diagnosed with a T12 schwannoma accompanied by an intratumoral hematoma.
Self-reported dyspareunia and outcome satisfaction after spontaneous second-degree tear compared to episiotomy: A register-based cohort study.
PLoS One
December 2024
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Introduction: Symptoms after second-degree tears and in particular episiotomies are common. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and degree of dyspareunia and level of satisfaction with the outcome of the perineal repair after a spontaneous second-degree tear compared to an episiotomy. Further, we aimed to identify risk factors for dyspareunia and dissatisfaction with the outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColonoscopy Screening Behavior in First-Degree Relatives of Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior.
Inquiry
December 2024
School of Nursing, Hebei University, Baoding, China.
To investigate the factors influencing the colonoscopy screening behavior of first-degree relatives of colorectal cancer patients and to provide a basis for formulating screening intervention strategies. In this study, 15 first-degree relatives of colorectal cancer patients in the Department of Medical Oncology of a tertiary hospital in Baoding City from May to July 2024 were selected as the research subjects, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted. The theme was analyzed and summarized based on the theory of planned behavior and Colaizzi's 7-step analysis method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!