Patients expectations toward treatment analyzed in a group of patients over sixty years old treated with intravenous chemotherapy due to hematological malignancies. Evaluation done during the period of treatment

Abstract

Great expectations of chemotherapy have a significant impact on health activities. Patients relay their opinion on their positive self-assessment perceived with psychophysical capacity, clinical symptoms of the disease and the quality of medical actions. The expectation analysis of elderly patients who undergo intravenous chemotherapy was the objective of this paper.

Research was performed in 2012. There were 30 patients of age 60 and more included. All patients were treated in Haematology Ward of District Hospital in Kraków. A questionnaire, ECOG scale, and 5 Juczyński tests were used in order to evaluate the psychophysical capacity of patients. The Juczyński tests measure selected psychological resources which influence on the adaptation of an organism to the disease and treatment. These are: optimism (LOT-R), satisfaction from life (SWLS), sense of self effectiveness (GSES), the degree of disease approval (AIS) and emotional control (CECS).

Significant relations between psychophysical capacity and objective effects of treatment and subjective self-assessment of the state of one health were found. Better functioning of patients (measured by ECOG scale) is strictly correlated with good adjustment and acknowledgment of illness limitations (p=0.022). Patients having good sense of self-satisfaction suffer from different ailments less severely (p=0.039) and expect less intensification of bad syndromes in future (p=0.06). On the other hand those who are overcome with fear anticipate more troubles after chemotherapy (p=0.024).

Based on the results of analysis the distribution of patients’ expectations towards their family, medical caregivers and the process of treatment was obtained. The picture of illness dynamics was presented using two categories: objective (medical) and subjective described by patients evaluations of their state of health during treatment.

The research revealed the necessity of analyzing psychophysical functioning of elderly submitted to long treatment.