Sureeporn Thanasilp
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Title: Effect of a symptom management program combined with an intervention based on basic buddhist principles on quality of life of patients with terminal cancer
Biography
Biography: Sureeporn Thanasilp
Abstract
Introduction: Patients with terminal cancer can suffer from various symptoms, affecting their quality of lives as well as their caregivers' lives. As caregivers, they often spend a lot of time to take care the patients especially in terminal illness, it is essential for them to have ability to deal with their emotion and manage those common symptoms. The previous study found that caring behavior of caregiver related to quality of patient’s life.
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of symptom management program combined with an intervention based on basic Buddhist principles on quality of life of patients with terminal cancer.
Methods: This quasi-experimental research study had pre- and post-test control groups. The participants were patients who diagnosed with terminal cancer and their family caregivers. Family caregivers in the experimental group received conventional care and symptom management program combined with an intervention based on basic Buddhist principles for three consecutive days from the researchers. Family caregivers in the control group received conventional care alone. After receiving the intervention either the experimental or control group, the family caregivers took care the patients for one week. The patients in both group were asked to complete the FACT-G questionnaire on Day 1 (pre-test). Then the patients were asked to complete the FACT-G questionnaire again on Day 10 (post-test).
Finding: The result is still in process.
Conclusion: This program can provide effective stress relief to caregivers and help them gain good skill for manage common symptoms to terminal cancer patients. Then the patients will perceive better quality of life. That is the symptom management program combined with an intervention based on basic Buddhist principles will improve the quality of life of patients with terminal cancer. This result supports the beneficial effects of implementing this type of intervention for patients with terminal cancer and their family caregivers.