title: Patients and staff perceptions of cancer patients' quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Discrepancies exist in estimation of quality of life (QL) by patients and caregivers but underlying factors are incompletely characterised.
  
  
  METHODS
  QL of 153 patients was estimated by themselves, by 70 nurses and by 53 physicians in a cross-sectional study. Variables which could influence inter-rater agreement were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inter-rater agreement of QL was fair (r = .292) between patients and nurses and between patients and physicians (r = .154). Inter-rater agreement with nurses was significantly lower concerning fatigue and pain for patients with a Karnofsky Index <50 when compared to patients with a KI > 50. Their inter-rater agreement with physicians was significantly lower for fatigue, pain and physical functioning. Agreement on the degree of anxiety was significantly (p = .009) better for female patients. Agreement on the need for social assistance (p = .01) and physical functioning (p = .03) was significantly better for male patients. Agreement with patients on their physical functioning was significantly (p = .03) better for male nurses and male physicians (r = .944) than for female nurses and female physicians (r = .674).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that estimation of overall QL of patients by professional caregivers is inaccurate. Inter-rater agreement was influenced by KI of patients, by gender of patients and caregivers and by professional experience of nurses.
authors.affiliation: Division of Palliative Care, Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel, Wien, Austria.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hladschik-Kermer
authors.forename: Katharina A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kierner
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Heck
authors.forename: Aurelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miksovsky
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zoidl
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medicus
authors.forename: Eva K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Masel
authors.forename: Herbert H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Watzke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001317:Austria; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires