Palliative Care Needs of Patients With Gynecologic Cancer

Purpose:  

The aim of this study was to identify Turkish cancer patients’ palliative care needs using the three levels of needs questionnaire (3LNQ). To achieve this aim, two research questions were investigated:

1-    Is the 3LNQ valid and reliable to measure palliative care needs of gynecologic cancer patients living in Turkey?

2-    What is the unmet palliative care needs of gynecologic cancer patients in Turkey?

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted during 2013–2014 at a training and research oncology hospital in Ankara, Turkey.   The study population consisted of gynecologic cancer patients who received treatment as inpatients at the hospital’s gynecological oncology clinic.  A total of 134 cancer patients were included in the study at an oncology hospital between 2013–2014. A data collection form, a short-form medical outcomes health survey, and the 3LNQ were used to collect data. 

Results: The mean age of participants was 59 ± 8.76, of 69.4% were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 52.2 % had stage-3-4 cancer. The most intense problems were with concentrating, worrying, depression, and limitations with both work and daily activities. The most frequent unmet needs were fatigue (52.2%), problems with performing physical activities (42.5%), problems with being limited in work and daily activities (42.5%), and depression (34.3%).

Conclusion:  

The most intense problems found among gynecologic cancer patients in the present study were those with concentrating, worrying, depression, and limitations in performing work and daily activities. The unmet needs of these patients concerned fatigue, problems with performing physical activities, problems with being limited in work and daily activities, and depression. Oncology nurses should examine the underlying reasons for fatigue and give nursing care accordingly, as well as be trained and aware of depressive symptoms as of diagnosis and deliver the required treatment as part of palliative care. It is also vital to encourage patients to undertake self-care to manage their daily activities succefully. Needs assessment is an unstable process that may nevertheless clarify suggestions for modifications in health care services. When more local data become available, patients’ needs can be reassessed as changes in services occur.

Though the scale used in this study shows strong validity and reliability for Turkish patients, further studies should investigate such validity and reliability in groups of different patients. The scale can be used to evaluate the Turkish cancer patients’ needs from palliative care, as well as to determine when and which patients should be referred to palliative care units.