ความต้องการข้อมูล และคุณภาพชีวิตของผู้ป่วยมะเร็งต่อมน้ำเหลืองที่ได้รับยาเคมีบำบัด  ที่ห้องรับบริการผู้ป่วยนอก โรงพยาบาลสังกัดมหาวิทยาลัย

Punyaphat Bumrungmeung

Authors

Punyaphat Bumrungmeung Maharaj Nakorn Chaing Hospital, Mai Faculty of Medicine Chaing Mai University

Keywords:

Chemotherapy, Information needs, Patients with lymphoma, Quality of life

Abstract

Although chemotherapy can cure lymphoma, it can bring about complications. Therefore, patients may have information needs for managing any symptom depending on its cause. Additionally, chemotherapy can significantly impact patients’ quality of life in many aspects. This descriptive research proposed to study the levels of information needs and quality of life among patients who received chemotherapy at the outpatient clinic of a university hospital. The purposive sample technique was used to recruit 127 study participants who were newly diagnosed with lymphoma and made an appointment to receive chemotherapy. The research instruments were the HINQ-62 (Hematological Information Need Questionnaire - 62) and the WHOQOL-BREF-THAI (The World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The study showed that the overall level of information needs among the participants had the highest average score (M = 4.47, SD = 0.49). When considering each aspect, the medical tests and prognosis aspect had the highest average score (M = 4.65, SD = 0.55), followed by the disease, symptoms, treatment and side-effects aspect (M = 4.59, SD = 0.50), the self-care aspect (M = 4.49, SD = 0.57), and the psychosocial aspect (M = 4.33, SD = 0.73). The aspect of etiology, sleep, and physical changes had the lowest average score, though still at a high level (M = 4.08, SD = 0.69). Regarding quality of life, the overall average score was at a moderate level (M = 3.54, SD = 0.44). When considering each aspect, the environment aspect had the highest average score at a good level (M = 4.72, SD = 0.45), followed by the psychological aspect (M = 3.75, SD = 0.60). The social relationship aspect had a moderate average score (M = 3.50, SD = 0.62). The physical aspect had the lowest average score, also at a moderate level (M = 3.20, SD = 0.54).

These results are baseline data to set the priority of needs for the teaching plan and enhance patients’ quality of life in each aspect appropriately.

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