2018 Volume 32 Article ID: 32_oizumi_20171214
Abstract
This study sought to determine the quality of life （QOL） of family members of pancreatic cancer patients undergoing treatment, and to clarify relationships between family QOL, and their perceptions of the patient’s symptoms and treatment status as well as the family’s medical treatment support situation. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 67 family members of outpatients. The questionnaire contained items on characteristics of the family and patient, the family’s medical treatment support situation, the patient’s symptoms as perceived by the family, and health-related QOL （SF―36v2）. The patient’s treatment status was surveyed from medical records. A runs test, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used to assess the distribution of the family QOL. Multiple regression analysis was performed. The role emotional subscale of the family’s QOL was significantly lower than the national median coordinated at 60 years of age （p＜0.05）. And the patient’s total symptom score as perceived by family members was related to the worsening of their QOL （rs = －0.29～ －0.39; p＜0.01～ 0.05）. Moreover, in terms of correlation between QOL and the medical treatment support situation, there were significant differences between QOL and whether family members perceived a “dietary burden due to the patient’ s symptoms”（ p＜0.01～ 0.05）, and whether family members perceived an “economic burden”（ p＜0.05）. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that factors affecting QOL of family members depended on whether they felt burdened by preparing meals and eating together, weight loss, anxiety and pain scores, the patient’s surgical history, oral medicine management, the treatment stage, communication about the disease and treatment from the doctor. The findings suggested that education and emotional support for managing patient symptoms are essential when providing support for family members of pancreatic cancer patients.
