| Title |
The impact of specialized palliative care on cancer patients’ health-related quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Supportive Care in Cancer, September 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00520-017-3895-1 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Angelos P. Kassianos, Myria Ioannou, Marianna Koutsantoni, Haris Charalambous |
| Abstract |
Specialized palliative care (SPC) is currently underutilized or provided late in cancer care. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to critically evaluate the impact of SPC on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Five databases were searched through June 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective studies using a pre- and post- assessment of HRQoL were included. The PRISMA reporting statement was followed. Criteria from available checklists were used to evaluate the studies' quality. A meta-analysis followed using random-effect models separately for RCTs and non-RCTs. Eleven studies including five RCTs and 2939 cancer patients published between 2001 and 2014 were identified. There was improved HRQoL in patients with cancer following SPC especially in symptoms like pain, nausea, and fatigue as well as improvement of physical and psychological functioning. Less or no improvements were observed in social and spiritual domains. In general, studies of inpatients showed a larger benefit from SPC than studies of outpatients whereas patients' age and treatment duration did not moderate the impact of SPC. Methodological shortcomings of included studies include high attrition rates, low precision, and power and poor reporting of control procedures. The methodological problems and publication bias call for higher-quality studies to be designed, funded, and published. However, there is a clear message that SPC is multi-disciplinary and aims at palliation of symptoms and burden in line with current recommendations. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 33% |
| Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 3 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 153 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 153 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 24 | 16% |
| Researcher | 12 | 8% |
| Student > Bachelor | 12 | 8% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 11 | 7% |
| Other | 11 | 7% |
| Other | 31 | 20% |
| Unknown | 52 | 34% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing and Health Professions | 37 | 24% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 30 | 20% |
| Psychology | 9 | 6% |
| Social Sciences | 4 | 3% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 2% |
| Other | 17 | 11% |
| Unknown | 53 | 35% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 24 September 2018.
All research outputs
#15,867,545
of 23,577,761 outputs
Outputs from Supportive Care in Cancer
#3,191
of 4,723 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#201,386
of 319,491 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Supportive Care in Cancer
#61
of 74 outputs
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