Author/Authors :
Hoseini Kasnavieh ، Mohamad Trauma and Injury Research Center - Iran University of Medical Sciences , Veisi ، Mohammad Department of Health Management and Economics - School of Public Health - Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Amerzadeh ، Mohammad Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases - Qazvin University of Medical Sciences , Hosseinifard ، Hossein Department of Biostatics - School of Public Health - Hamadan University of Medical Sciences , Tahmasebi ، Ali Hospital Management Research Center, Health Management Research Institute - Iran University of Medical Sciences , Riahi ، Mina Department of Health Services Management - School of Health Management and Information Sciences - Iran University of Medical Sciences
Abstract :
Background: Cancer patients may face challenges in their regular treatments and their quality of life (QoL) due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the QoL of cancer patients in Iran during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: We applied the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) Core Quality of Life (QLQ-C30) questionnaire to measure the QoL of cancer patients in Rasoul Akram Hospital in 2021 in Tehran. Based on the inclusion criteria (a cancer diagnosis, being 18 years of age or older, and the ability to understand (but not necessarily read) the Persian language), 87 cancer patients were found to be eligible. Of these, 85 completed the questionnaire. We used SPSS to analyze the data with an independent ttest and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: According to the result of the analysis, the global health status (main Qol score) was 55.49 ± 21.27. We found no significant difference in the global health status scores based on any demographic variables. Regarding functional scales, the type of insurance had a significant effect on the average cognitive functioning score (P-value = 0.043), with the highest score (79.37 ± 21.02) for patients with Medical Service Insurance and the lowest score (54.76 ± 29.99) for patients without insurance. We also found that in symptom scales, age (P-value 0.001) and the type of cancer (P-value 0.001) had a significant impact on the average appetite loss score. Conclusions: The QoL of cancer patients has deteriorated during the coronavirus outbreak in terms of general health status, functional scales, and symptom scales. Cancer patients need to be supported by decision-makers and hospital managers, especially in epidemics, to cope with psychological issues related to epidemics, such as fear, anxiety, and worry, and to ensure that they receive adequate services.
Keywords :
Quality of Life , Patients , COVID , 19
