Full text
| |
| Author(s): |
Michelle Darezzo Rodrigues Nunes
Total Authors: 1
|
| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | Ribeirão Preto. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC) |
| Defense date: | 2014-11-03 |
| Examining board members: |
Lucila Castanheira Nascimento;
Regina Aparecida Garcia de Lima;
Maria José Menossi;
Carlos Alberto Scrideli;
Mauren Teresa Grubisich Mendes Tacla
|
| Advisor: | Lucila Castanheira Nascimento |
| Abstract | |
PURPOSE: Children and adolescents with cancer experience multiple symptoms, such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain, and nausea. These symptoms are associated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The purpose of this research was to examine: a) fatigue, sleep patterns, and HRQoL in hospitalized children and adolescents with cancer; b) relationships among fatigue, sleep patterns, and HRQoL; c) factors, such as age, gender, cancer diagnosis, reason for hospitalization, length of chemotherapy, use of dexamethasone, hematocrit and hemoglobin levels and days post-chemotherapy that may have significant effects on fatigue, sleep and HRQoL. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: The Symptom Management Theory (SMT) was used as a guiding framework for the research. SMT consists of three components that are interrelated: symptom experience, symptom management strategies and outcomes, which are embedded in the context of person, health/illness, and environment. METHODS: The research design was quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional. Participants completed the PedsQL(TM) Multidimensional Fatigue Scale to measure fatigue, wore the wrist Actigraph for the minimum of three days to assess sleep patterns, and the PedsQL(TM) Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Generic and Cancer) to assess HRQoL. RESULTS: The participants were 38 children (9.7 ±1.3 age in years) and adolescents (14.8 ± 1.4 age in years) hospitalized with cancer at a public hospital in the interior of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The results demonstrated low fatigue scores (63.8 ± 18.5) and quality of life (HRQoL) scores (generic: 61.1± 17.0; cancer: 59.1 ± 16.7). Sleep duration was 3.4 ± 1.9 hours. Variations in fatigue levels may be explained by: 1) a diagnosis of brain tumor, the length of chemotherapy and total HRQoL (81.1%); 2) a diagnosis of sarcoma, length of chemotherapy, pain and hurt, procedural anxiety, cognitive problems and physical appearance (89.6%); and 3) the total HRQoL (cancer) and sleep duration (74.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized children and adolescents with cancer experience fatigue, sleep disturbance, and low HRQoL. Nurses need to assess fatigue, sleep, and HRQoL. Future studies are needed to investigate effective management strategies that may decrease fatigue, improve sleep, and increase HRQoL in hospitalized children and adolescents with cancer (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 10/20055-6 - Assessment of fatigue in children and adolescents with cancer and its relations with sleep patterns and quality of life |
| Grantee: | Michelle Darezzo Rodrigues Nunes |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |