A longitudinal analysis of patient satisfaction and subsequent quality of life in Hong Kong Chinese breast and nasopharyngeal cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
We evaluated the longitudinal course of the relationship between patient satisfaction and quality of life (QoL) in Chinese breast and nasopharyngeal cancer patients.


METHODS
A sample of Chinese breast (n = 250) and nasopharyngeal (n = 242) cancer patients were assessed during their first outpatient visit (baseline) and at 2 follow-up interviews (FU1 and FU2). The Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Scale (FACT-G (Ch)) was adopted to assess QoL. Patient satisfaction was assessed by the 9-item Chinese Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (ChPSQ-9) and the cognitive subscale of the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (MISS-Cog). Linear mixed effects models were fitted to identify predictors of patient satisfaction and QoL.


RESULTS
Recurrence after baseline (std beta = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.98; P < 0.05) was the only predictor of MISS-Cog, age (std beta = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.02; P < 0.05) and depressed mood (std beta = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.30; P < 0.001) of ChPSQ-9. After adjusting for sociodemographic and psychosocial variables, both ChPSQ-9 (std beta = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.19; P < 0.001) and MISS-Cog (std beta = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.12; P < 0.05) independently predicted FACT-G (Ch) scores.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest both general emotional support and informational support are important in predicting QoL among Chinese breast and nasopharyngeal cancer patients.
Wong
Wing S
WS
Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Fielding
Richard
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors