scholarly journals Art can improve quality of life for long-term hemodialysis patients

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 236-236
Author(s):  
Rachael Williams
2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Le Corre ◽  
M. Delorme ◽  
S. Cournoyer

The objective of this study was to assess the risk of bacteremia, estimate the cost and evaluate the quality of life by using a transparent dressing (TD) versus (vs) a dry gauze (DG) on the exit site of long term central I.V. catheters (LTCC) of hemodialysis patients. This 6-months preliminary study was conducted on 58 patients (pts) randomized to receive DG replaced 3 times/week (29 pts) or TD replaced every 7 days (29 pts). Data on patients, conditions of the exit site, local infection, bacteremia, quality of life and cost related to each type of dressing were collected. Two pts in the DG group experienced bacteremia related to their LTCC vs 1 pt in the group TD. A total of 7 (DG) vs 13 (TD) pts experienced skin condition changes at the catheter exit site. Some skin reactions, erythema and pruritus, did occur initially in the group TD and was due in part to insufficient drying time of the skin preparation solution. The estimated individual, weekly costs for using the DG was $7.60 vs $4.72 Canadian dollars for the TD. The SF-36™ scores did not show a significant difference between the 2 groups during the study (3.8 (PCS), 6.4 (MCS) at study end). Although this study was statistically underpowered, it suggests that the incidence of bacteremia was not increased with the use of a TD. Moreover, the use of a TD allowed fewer dressing changes, lowered total treatment costs, with no observed unfavorable impact on the quality of life and without significant local complications of the exit site. Based on the positive results observed in this pilot study, further study is warranted to examine the cost effectiveness of long-term use of TD dressings on dialysis catheter exit sites.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Dorval ◽  
E Maunsell ◽  
L Deschênes ◽  
J Brisson ◽  
B Mâsse

PURPOSE Quality of life of breast cancer survivors 8 years after diagnosis was compared with that among similarly aged women who had never confronted cancer (controls). METHODS Survivors of a consecutive series of 227 breast cancer patients first treated in 1984 were approached for this study. Random-digit dialing was used to identify controls with the same age and residential distribution as the survivors. Quality of life was assessed in terms of physical health, functional status, psychologic distress, and social functioning. RESULTS Participation was obtained from 96% (n = 124) of 129 eligible survivors and 61% (n = 262) of 427 potentially eligible controls. Consistently smaller proportions of survivors reported positive quality-of-life outcomes compared with controls, but these differences were generally small and nonsignificant statistically. When limited to women who remained free of disease over the entire follow-up period (n = 98), survivors' quality of life was similar to that among controls, with the exception of arm problems and sexual satisfaction for those women who lived with a partner. In contrast, survivors who developed recurrence or new primary breast cancer (n = 26) experienced a worse quality of life in all domains except social functioning. CONCLUSION In most domains and for women without further disease events after diagnosis, quality of life does not seem to be permanently and globally impaired by breast cancer. Consequently, breast cancer survivors who remain free of disease probably do not need organized late psychosocial follow-up to improve quality of life. However, arm problems and sexuality are two areas in which additional effort may be still needed to improve quality of life of long-term survivors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuele Poliana Lawall Gravina ◽  
Bruno Valle Pinheiro ◽  
Luciana Angélica da Silva Jesus ◽  
Lilian Pinto da Silva ◽  
Rodolfo Nazareth da Silva ◽  
...  

Although previous studies have shown the benefits of exercise training in hemodialysis patients, little is known about the effects of long-term of exercise program on these patients. We investigated the effects and the safety of long-term aerobic training and the effects of detraining on functional capacity and quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Ten patients were allocated to two groups: training and detraining. The training group completed at least 30 months of aerobic training, and the detraining group completed at least 20 months and then discontinued the training for at least 10 months. The outcomes were analyzed at baseline, after 3 months of aerobic training and at the 30-month follow-up. The training and detraining groups performed 37 (5.5) and 24 (3.0) months of aerobic training, respectively. The detraining group discontinued the training for 11.0 (2.0) months. After 3 months of aerobic training, six-minute walking test distance increased significantly in both groups (training group = 569 (287.8) vs 635.5 (277.0) m, p = 0.04; detraining group = 454.5 (72.3) vs 515.0 (91.8) m, p = 0.04). There was no significant difference in the six-minute walking test distance in the training group (576.5 (182.5), p  >  0.05) and a significant decrease (436.2 (89.6) m, p = 0.04) in the detraining group at the follow-up compared to the third month of aerobic training. No significant difference was observed in quality of life during the study. No complications were found during the protocol of the exercise. These results suggest that long-term aerobic training is safe and can maintain functional capacity in hemodialysis patients. In contrast, detraining can result in loss of functional capacity in these patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S888-S889
Author(s):  
Sandra Sanchez-Reilly ◽  
Laura M Reilly-Sanchez ◽  
Valeria Restrepo ◽  
Marcos I Restrepo ◽  
Jeanette Ross ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Stroke survivors experience long-term disability also affecting informal caregivers (ICG). With current technology, social media might be the only way for ICG to gain training/access support. What resources are available for ICG of older adults who survived stroke (OASS)? Objective: To identify/analyze types of bilingual social media resources available to ICG of OASS Methods: Facebook data was bilingually collected (Spanish), including most popular groups and pages based on search engines containing terms such as stroke, CVA, caregiver. Similar numbers of groups (35 English vs. 52 Spanish) and pages (32 English vs. 34 Spanish) were analyzed. Data included pages and groups’ information, numbers-of-likes, type-of-organization and resources provided. Results: English-Facebook resources were more popular for pages and groups (3820/2010 vs. 190/7; p<0.001), Spanish resources were present, but with little activity among ICG. Majority of Spanish posts came from experts and English posts related to offering services or raising community awareness. Among both languages, pages provided resources related to social support (81%), improving caregiver skills (35%), advocacy (100%-English vs.56%-Spanish, p<0.001) and research news (84%-English vs.41%-Spanish, p<0.001). For English-ICG, more opportunities for live chats, messaging and inspirational messages were found (22-44% vs.3-9%, p<0.001). Conclusions: ICG of OASS could access Facebook resources to support multiple areas of caregiving including retrieving social support, gaining skills, learning new stroke-science findings and encountering live chats while getting inspired. Some resources are more available to English-ICG. Stroke-supporting organizations must consider using social media as crucial platforms to access bilingual resources and improve quality-of-life for ICG and OASS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Phillips ◽  
Denise Robertson ◽  
Kathryn Hart ◽  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Nariman Karanjia

Abstract Background Pancreatico-duodenectomy (PD)  results in major anatomical changes that have an impact on nutritional status and quality of life. Issues such as pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI), diabetes mellitus (DM), malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency, osteoporosis and other gastrointestinal diseases are common in the post-operative setting (1, 2). Appropriate treatment of these surgical consequences is associated with improved survival (3, 4), and should improve quality of life. The aim of this survey was to assess current practice and identify which disciplines were reviewing patients following PD, what format that review takes and the duration of follow up. Methods A UK wide electronic survey was developed using Qualtrics® software (SAP America Inc. USA) to capture all the nutritional aspects of follow up thought to be relevant in the long term. Markers of endocrine failure and malnutrition (weight, nutritional assessment and biochemical vitamin and mineral screens), smoking and alcohol cessation advice and the use of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans were included. The survey was piloted on 5 staff locally prior to being circulated through a professional network – the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (PSGBI). Data were analysed using Chi-Square tests in SPSS (Version 26). Results One hundred and one (23% response rate) clinicians completed the survey, with 83 useable data sets.  Surgeons and dietitians were most likely to reply to the questionnaire, 88% of respondents worked in tertiary centres, half (55%) had more than 10 years’ experience. There were highly significant variations in practice according to clinician experience, underlying pathology, and institution (p < 0.001 in all cases). Diabetes screening did not occur in 30% of cases. Lifelong follow up was offered by 24% of clinicians (17 surgeons, 3 dietitians, 1 nurse), in pre-malignant (n = 15), benign (n = 11) and malignant disease (n = 10) (P < 0.001). Conclusions Whilst this study may be biased towards those with an interest in follow up, we still demonstrated a need to improve the provision of long-term follow up for patients who have undergone PD, especially since provision of a comprehensive assessment appeared to be associated with clinician experience, and varies between institutions. More evidence for the benefits of long-term follow up and the optimal content is required to inform the development of clinical guidance. Early detection of clinical consequences may improve quality of life and reduce complications associated with poorly managed endocrine and exocrine failure.


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