Objectives To identify symptom clusters among patients with advanced heart failure （HF） and the independent relationships with their quality of life （QoL）. Methods This is the secondary data analysis of a cross-se...Objectives To identify symptom clusters among patients with advanced heart failure （HF） and the independent relationships with their quality of life （QoL）. Methods This is the secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional study which interviewed 119 patients with advanced HF in the geriatric unit of a regional hospital in Hong Kong. The symptom profile and QoL were assessed by using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale （ESAS） and the McGill QoL Questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the symptom clusters. Hier- archical regression analysis was used to examine the independent relationships with their QoL, after adjusting the effects of age, gender, and comorbidities. Results The patients were at an advanced age （82.9± 6.5 years）. Three distinct symptom clusters were identified： they were the distress cluster （including shortness of breath, anxiety, and depression）, the decondition cluster （fatigue, drowsiness, nausea, and reduced appetite）, and the discomfort cluster （pain, and sense of generalized discomfort）. These three symptom clusters accounted for 63.25% of variance of the patients＇ symptom experience. The small to moderate correlations between these symptom clusters indicated that they were rather independent of one another. After adjusting the age, gender and comorbidities, the distress （β = -0.635, P 〈 0.001）, the decondition （β = -0.148, P = 0.01）, and the discomfort （β = -0.258, P 〈 0.001） symptom clusters independently predicted their QoL. Conclusions This study identified the distinctive symptom clusters among patients with advanced HF. The results shed light on the need to develop palliative care interventions for optimizing the symptom control for this life-limiting disease.展开更多
目的:本研究通过对前期多中心随机对照试验数据进行二次分析,评估针刺作为非药物疗法在减少慢性自发性荨麻疹(Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria,CSU)患者对应急使用抗组胺药依赖方面的潜力,为CSU的多元化管理提供新的证据。方法:患者随机...目的:本研究通过对前期多中心随机对照试验数据进行二次分析,评估针刺作为非药物疗法在减少慢性自发性荨麻疹(Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria,CSU)患者对应急使用抗组胺药依赖方面的潜力,为CSU的多元化管理提供新的证据。方法:患者随机分配到针刺组、假针刺组和等待治疗组,并记录了4周治疗期及4周随访期内应急使用抗组胺药的情况。本研究主要评估指标为应急使用抗组胺药的平均天数,通过单因素方差分析(ANOVA)及Tukey HSD多重比较探讨不同时期组间应急使用抗组胺药的平均天数差异。对于组内比较,采用Welch的t检验评估不同时期的差异。非参数Mann-Whitney-U检验进一步验证了组间差异的稳健性。卡方检验和Fisher精确检验用于分析治疗组间用药人数的统计学差异。结果:共分析了296名患者的数据。与针刺组相比,等待治疗组在治疗期(0.30,95%CI0.08 to 0.53,P=0.005)和随访期(0.31,95%CI0.12 to 0.50,P<0.001)应急使用抗组胺药的频率增加。组内分析表明,尽管3组应急使用抗组胺药的平均天数有所下降,但这些变化无统计学意义(P>0.05)。此外,与等待治疗组相比,治疗和随访期间接受针刺治疗的患者中应急用药的人数较少(P<0.05)。结论:针刺治疗显示了减轻CSU患者依赖应急用药的潜力,为减少药物负担提供了一个有效的非药物治疗选择。展开更多
文摘Objectives To identify symptom clusters among patients with advanced heart failure （HF） and the independent relationships with their quality of life （QoL）. Methods This is the secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional study which interviewed 119 patients with advanced HF in the geriatric unit of a regional hospital in Hong Kong. The symptom profile and QoL were assessed by using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale （ESAS） and the McGill QoL Questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the symptom clusters. Hier- archical regression analysis was used to examine the independent relationships with their QoL, after adjusting the effects of age, gender, and comorbidities. Results The patients were at an advanced age （82.9± 6.5 years）. Three distinct symptom clusters were identified： they were the distress cluster （including shortness of breath, anxiety, and depression）, the decondition cluster （fatigue, drowsiness, nausea, and reduced appetite）, and the discomfort cluster （pain, and sense of generalized discomfort）. These three symptom clusters accounted for 63.25% of variance of the patients＇ symptom experience. The small to moderate correlations between these symptom clusters indicated that they were rather independent of one another. After adjusting the age, gender and comorbidities, the distress （β = -0.635, P 〈 0.001）, the decondition （β = -0.148, P = 0.01）, and the discomfort （β = -0.258, P 〈 0.001） symptom clusters independently predicted their QoL. Conclusions This study identified the distinctive symptom clusters among patients with advanced HF. The results shed light on the need to develop palliative care interventions for optimizing the symptom control for this life-limiting disease.
文摘目的:本研究通过对前期多中心随机对照试验数据进行二次分析,评估针刺作为非药物疗法在减少慢性自发性荨麻疹(Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria,CSU)患者对应急使用抗组胺药依赖方面的潜力,为CSU的多元化管理提供新的证据。方法:患者随机分配到针刺组、假针刺组和等待治疗组,并记录了4周治疗期及4周随访期内应急使用抗组胺药的情况。本研究主要评估指标为应急使用抗组胺药的平均天数,通过单因素方差分析(ANOVA)及Tukey HSD多重比较探讨不同时期组间应急使用抗组胺药的平均天数差异。对于组内比较,采用Welch的t检验评估不同时期的差异。非参数Mann-Whitney-U检验进一步验证了组间差异的稳健性。卡方检验和Fisher精确检验用于分析治疗组间用药人数的统计学差异。结果:共分析了296名患者的数据。与针刺组相比,等待治疗组在治疗期(0.30,95%CI0.08 to 0.53,P=0.005)和随访期(0.31,95%CI0.12 to 0.50,P<0.001)应急使用抗组胺药的频率增加。组内分析表明,尽管3组应急使用抗组胺药的平均天数有所下降,但这些变化无统计学意义(P>0.05)。此外,与等待治疗组相比,治疗和随访期间接受针刺治疗的患者中应急用药的人数较少(P<0.05)。结论:针刺治疗显示了减轻CSU患者依赖应急用药的潜力,为减少药物负担提供了一个有效的非药物治疗选择。
