Pain and health-related quality of life among cancer patients in final stage of life: a comparison between two palliative care teams.
A two-centred descriptive study was performed in order to describe and compare pain and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among cancer patients, in their final stage of life. The patients were cared for by either a nurse-led palliative care team I (PCT I) or a physician-led palliative care team II (PCT II). Forty-six consecutive, stratified patients (PCT I, n = 21 and PCT II, n = 25) participated. The medical outcomes study short form 36 (SF-36) was used for evaluating HRQOL and the Pain-O-Meter for assessing pain. Patients' pain intensity, pain quality and HRQOL showed no significant difference between the two groups PCT I and PCT II. The patients from PCT I had significantly longer survival time (P = 0.017) than those from PCT II. The different composition of the teams being led by nurses or physicians is worth further research; both from the patient's and staff's viewpoint, there may also be cost-benefits worth examining.
Boström
Barbro
B
School of Social and Health Sciences, Halmstad University, Box 823, S-301 18 Halmstad, Sweden. barbro.bostrom@hos.hh.se
Hinic
Hansi
H
Lundberg
Dag
D
Fridlund
Bengt
B
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013548:Sweden; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014825:Vocabulary