Symptom Burden and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients at Kenyatta National Hospital Nairobi City County, Kenya
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Date
2022
Authors
Soita, Phillip
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Background: Cancer is highly ranked as a cause of morbidity and mortality globally with an estimated 9.3 million new diagnoses made in 2020 with a projected increase to 47,000 new cancer cases and 32,987 cancer deaths in Kenya. Cancer related symptoms are caused by the disease itself or the ongoing treatment, however factors like age, gender, and concurrent diseases may also influence the general symptom experience. Despite the fact that these symptoms affect the QoL of these patients, there is little being done to address this effect on the QoL. Therefore the effect of disease related burden on the QoL among the malignancy patients with these unique variables in view is an important area of study.Objective: To assess the disease related symptom burden and the QoL among cancer patients in Kenyatta National Hospital. Methodology: Descriptive, correlational study with 168 cancer patients as participants recruited through simple random sampling. Self-administered and interviewer administered questionnaires were used in the study. The research was carried out in the oncology unit of Kenyatta National Hospital targeting adult patients that are undergoing cancer treatment. Statistical program for social scientists (SPSS) version 25.00 was used to carry out data analysis and presented using graphs, tables and chats. Results: A total of 166 participants participated in the study. The overall QoL score was at 70.28. Cancer type(p=0.02), treatment period, treatment type(p=0.009),level(p=0.012), income(p=0.011) and marital status (0.039) were the key factors that affect the QoL among the study patients with symptom burden score(p=0.0001) and type of treatment p=0.035) being the main predictors of QoL.Conclusion and recommendation: Cancer and its treatment poses a risk and great symptom burden to these patients if not fully addressed. Its therefore essential to adopt a QoL assessment tool to be used by care givers to address specific patient needs, health care workers to provide relevant information to all cancer patients under treatment on symptom severity and progress, health care policy makers to incorporate symptom assessment, palliative care management and training in the health care system management and training and ensure community or public education on the common cancer predictors and drafting the right messages to pass to the people in order to improve on their QoL during and after treatment
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science in Oncology Nursing in the School of Nursing of Kenyatta University, May 2021
Keywords
Symptom Burden, Quality of Life, Cancer Patients, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi City County, Kenya