title: Factors predicting the effectiveness of palliative care in patients with advanced cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the factors that predict the effectiveness of palliative care in patients with advanced cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data were collected from 240 patients recruited from three tertiary care hospitals in Bangkok and suburban Thailand aged 18 years or older who were willing to participate; able to speak, read, and write Thai; were not receiving aggressive cancer treatment; and had been diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer. Participants were asked to complete a Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ), a Palliative Care Assessment Form (PCAF), and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The significant predictors of the effectiveness of palliative care in patients with advanced cancer were found to be spiritual well-being (p = 0.000) and palliative care strategies: a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial care, mind-body intervention, and spiritual care; physical management; and traditional medicine, herbal treatment, and diet management (p = 0.027). The likelihood of effectiveness for patients whose spiritual well-being and palliative care strategies scores increased by an average of one point increased by factors of 1.058 and 2.271, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that patients who experienced better spiritual well-being and who employed a variety of palliative care strategies also experienced enhanced effectiveness of palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Ramathibodi School of Nursing,Faculty of Medicine,Ramathibodi Hospital,Mahidol University,Bangkok,Thailand.
authors.forename: Suchira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chaiviboontham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand
keywords: Advanced cancer; Effectiveness; Palliative care