Symptom clusters among multiethnic groups of cancer patients with pain

Are Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Distal Radius Fractures Validated for Spanish and Culture? A Systematic Review

PURPOSE

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used commonly to assess function to direct treatment and evaluate outcomes for patients with distal radius fractures. Most PROMs have been developed and validated in English with minimal report of the demographics of patients studied. The validity of applying these PROMs among Spanish-speaking patients is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality and psychometric properties of Spanish-language adaptations of PROMs for distal radius fractures.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review to identify published studies of adaptations of Spanish-language PROMs evaluating patients with distal radius fractures. We evaluated the methodologic quality of the adaptation and validation using Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Report Measures, Quality Criteria for Psychometric Properties of Health Status Questionnaire, and the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments Checklist for Cross-Cultural Validity. The level of evidence was evaluated based upon prior methodology.

RESULTS

Five instruments reported in eight studies were included: the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), Disability of Arm Shoulder and Hand, Upper Limb Functional Index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, and Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment. The PRWE was the most frequently included PROM. No study followed all six processes for adaptation or assessed all measurement properties. No study demonstrated the completion of more than eight of the 14 aspects of cross-cultural validity. The PRWE had moderate evidence to support half of the domains of measurement properties evaluating the level of evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

None of the five instruments identified received a good rating on all three checklists. Only the PWRE demonstrated moderate evidence on half of the measurement domains.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Given the lack of strong evidence to support the quality of these instruments, we recommend adaptation and testing of PROMs for this population before use. Currently, PROMs in Spanish-speaking patients should be used with caution so as not to perpetuate health care disparities.

The Complex Interaction Between the Major Sleep Symptoms, the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Sleep Quality

Introduction: Little information exists in the general population whether clinical presentation phenotypes of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) differ in terms of sleep quality and comorbidities. Aim: The purpose of our study was to assess possible differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic OSA patients concerning syndrome's severity, patients' sleep quality, and comorbidities. Subjects and methods: First, in a nationwide, stratified, epidemiological survey, 4,118 Cypriot adult participants were interviewed about sleep habits and complaints. In the second stage of the survey, 264 randomly selected adults underwent a type III sleep study for possible OSA. Additionally, they completed the Greek version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Gr-PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: From 264 enrolled participants, 155 individuals (40 females and 115 males) were first diagnosed with OSA. Among these 155 patients, 34% had ESS ≥ 10 and 49% AIS ≥ 6. One or both symptoms present categorized the individual as symptomatic (60%) and neither major symptom as asymptomatic (40%). There were no significant statistical differences (SSDs) between the two groups (symptomatic-asymptomatic) with regard to anthropometrics [age or gender; neck, abdomen, and hip circumferences; and body mass index (BMI)]. The two groups had no differences in OSA severity-as expressed by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and mean oxyhemoglobin saturation (SaO₂)-and in cardiometabolic comorbidities. Symptomatic patients expressed anxiety and depression more often than asymptomatics (p < 0.001) and had poorer subjective sleep quality (Gr-PSQI, p < 0.001). According to PSQI questionnaire, there were no SSDs regarding hours in bed and the use of sleep medications, but there were significant differences in the subjective perception of sleep quality (p < 0.001), sleep efficiency (p < 0.001), duration of sleep (p = 0.001), sleep latency (p = 0.007), daytime dysfunction (p < 0.001), and finally sleep disturbances (p < 0.001). Conclusion: According to our data, OSA patients reporting insomnia-like symptoms and/or sleepiness do not represent a more severe phenotype, by the classic definition of OSA, but their subjective sleep quality is compromised, causing a vicious cycle of anxiety or depression.

Multicultural approaches of cancer pain

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pain continues to be a prevalent symptom in cancer patients. Patient's ethnicity may influence the experience of pain with variations in pain outcomes among different ethnic groups. The objective of this thematic review is to investigate the relationship between ethnicity and cancer pain experience, assessment and management.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cancer pain is not only a biophysiological construct but is rather a multidimensional concept of physiological and psychosocial responses, including the biocultural dimension. Culture can significantly affect patients' cancer pain-related beliefs and behaviors and patient's ethnicity may influence the experience of pain.We found a scarcity of data and an inconsistent literature that highlights gaps in knowledge, research and clinical practice concerning effective cancer pain management in a multicultural context.

SUMMARY

To face disparities among ethnic minorities in cancer pain management, well-designed randomized controlled trials and robust qualitative research on cancer pain-related issues should inform good clinical practice. A close worldwide collaboration between researchers and clinicians and professional organizations is warranted.

Palliative care needs of heart failure patients in China: putting people first

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Recognizing the rising prevalence of heart failure in China, patients with heart failure have substantial palliative needs. This review highlights recent evidence on the epidemic of heart failure, identifies needs and potential benefit of palliative care in heart failure, and sets future strategic policy and research directions in China.

RECENT FINDINGS

Epidemiological studies demonstrate the prevalence of heart failure among women is higher than men in China and increases substantially with age. However, few studies have addressed the palliative needs of Chinese heart failure patients. The main themes from this review include: Healthcare providers should be culturally sensitive whenever assessing symptoms and needs. Locally validated, brief outcome measures are called for to identify symptoms and needs of Chinese heart failure patients. Palliative care should be better integrated into the management of heart failure through increased training for healthcare providers, policy development, financial support, and cultural acceptance of palliative care.

SUMMARY

Large-scale epidemiological studies are urgently needed to assess the current situation of heart failure in China, alongside interventional studies to drive the development of innovative palliative care services to address the needs of Chinese heart failure patients.

Recognizable clinical subtypes of obstructive sleep apnea across international sleep centers: a cluster analysis

Study Objectives

A recent study of patients with moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Iceland identified three clinical clusters based on symptoms and comorbidities. We sought to verify this finding in a new cohort in Iceland and examine the generalizability of OSA clusters in an international ethnically diverse cohort.

Methods

Using data on 972 patients with moderate-severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 15 events per hour) recruited from the Sleep Apnea Global Interdisciplinary Consortium (SAGIC), we performed a latent class analysis of 18 self-reported symptom variables, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Results

The original OSA clusters of disturbed sleep, minimally symptomatic, and excessively sleepy replicated among 215 SAGIC patients from Iceland. These clusters also generalized to 757 patients from five other countries. The three clusters had similar average AHI values in both Iceland and the international samples, suggesting clusters are not driven by OSA severity; differences in age, gender, and body mass index were also generally small. Within the international sample, the three original clusters were expanded to five optimal clusters: three were similar to those in Iceland (labeled disturbed sleep, minimal symptoms, and upper airway symptoms with sleepiness) and two were new, less symptomatic clusters (labeled upper airway symptoms dominant and sleepiness dominant). The five clusters showed differences in demographics and AHI, although all were middle-aged (44.6-54.5 years), obese (30.6-35.9 kg/m2), and had severe OSA (42.0-51.4 events per hour) on average.

Conclusions

Results confirm and extend previously identified clinical clusters in OSA. These clusters provide an opportunity for a more personalized approach to the management of OSA.

Quality of Life of Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer in Korçe, Albania

PURPOSE:

The primary objective of this study was to quantify cancer family caregiver (FCG) quality of life (QOL) in a Southern Albanian population and to determine whether differences exist between 4 domains of QOL (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual). This study also sought to compare QOL in our cohort to QOL in historical studies that used the same survey instrument, and to examine correlations between demographic characteristics and QOL to identify any high-risk groups.

METHODS:

A sample of 40 FCGs was recruited at the Mary Potter Palliative Care Clinic in Korçe, Albania. Each participant completed the City of Hope Quality of Life (Family Version), a validated 37-question instrument that measures caregiver well-being in 4 domains: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being.

RESULTS:

There were no significant differences between the composite scores of the 4 QOL domains in our study. However, there were differences when comparing self-reported QOL between domains ("Rate your overall physical/psychological/social/spiritual well-being"). The QOL measured in our study was significantly lower than in 3 studies from the United States that used the same questionnaire. There were no significant correlations between demographic groups and QOL.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study examines the impact that the paucity of palliative services has on the QOL of Albanian cancer FCGs. Although there were no domains of QOL or demographic groups identified in our study that were faring significantly worse than others, the poor overall QOL provides further evidence to support the continued development of palliative services for both patients and family members in Albania.

Symptom-Based Subgroups of Koreans With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Recently, the Icelandic Sleep Apnea Cohort (ISAC) identified three subgroups in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) recruited from the sleep clinic based on clinical symptoms and comorbidities: excessively sleepy, minimally symptomatic, and disturbed sleep. This study sought to determine whether the three OSA subgroups are applicable to a population-based cohort in Korea.

METHODS

Study subjects are participants of an ongoing cohort study in Korea. Of the 2,918 participants, 422 new moderate to severe OSA cases (apneahypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 15 events/h) were diagnosed by home sleep studies. All participants completed a detailed questionnaire on sleep-related symptoms, comorbidities, medication, and other information. A latent class analysis was performed.

RESULTS

When examining solutions for up to 10 clusters, the a priori three-cluster solution was the optimal clustering solution. The three-cluster solution demonstrated a subgroup presentation similar to the clusters identified in the ISAC. The minimally symptomatic subgroup was most prevalent (55.7%) in the Korean cohort. Among the three subgroups, there were no differences in mean AHI and body mass index; however, the disturbed sleep subgroup was older and had more females.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined with the ISAC data, we suggest that the three-symptom cluster solution for patients with OSA may be more widely applicable, irrespective of ethnicity and study population.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Symptom Reporting and Symptom Clusters in Heart Failure

An understanding of symptoms in heart failure (HF) among different cultural groups has become increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to compare symptom reporting and symptom clusters in HF patients between a Western (the United States) and an Eastern Asian sample (China and Taiwan). A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional observational study was conducted. The data were obtained from a matched HF patient sample from the United States and China/Taiwan ( N = 240 in each). Eight selective items related to HF symptoms from the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire were analyzed. Compared with the U.S. sample, HF patients from China/Taiwan reported a lower level of symptom distress. Analysis of two different regional groups did not result in the same number of clusters using latent class approach: the United States (four classes) and China/Taiwan (three classes). The study demonstrated that symptom reporting and identification of symptom clusters might be influenced by cultural factors.

The relationship between ethnicity and the pain experience of cancer patients: a systematic review

Background:

Cancer pain is a complex multidimensional construct. Physicians use a patient-centered approach for its effective management, placing a great emphasis on patient self-reported ratings of pain. In the literature, studies have shown that a patient's ethnicity may influence the experience of pain as there are variations in pain outcomes among different ethnic groups. At present, little is known regarding the effect of ethnicity on the pain experience of cancer patients; currently, there are no systematic reviews examining this relationship.

Materials and Methods:

A systematic search of the literature in October 2013 using the keywords in Group 1 together with Group 2 and Group 3 was conducted in five online databases (1) Medline (1946–2013), (2) Embase (1980–2012), (3) The Cochrane Library, (4) Pubmed, and (5) Psycinfo (1806–2013). The search returned 684 studies. Following screening by inclusion and exclusion criteria, the full text was retrieved for quality assessment. In total, 11 studies were identified for this review. The keywords used for the search were as follows: Group 1-Cancer; Group 2- Pain, Pain measurement, Analgesic, Analgesia; Group 3- Ethnicity, Ethnic Groups, Minority Groups, Migrant, Culture, Cultural background, Ethnic Background.

Results:

Two main themes were identified from the included quantitative and qualitative studies, and ethnic differences were found in: (1) The management of cancer pain and (2) The pain experience. Six studies showed that ethnic groups face barriers to pain treatment and one study did not. Three studies showed ethnic differences in symptom severity and one study showed no difference. Interestingly, two qualitative studies highlighted cultural differences in the perception of cancer pain as Asian patients tended to normalize pain compared to Western patients who engage in active health-seeking behavior.

Conclusion:

There is an evidence to suggest that the cancer pain experience is different between ethnicities. Minority patients face potential barriers for effective pain management due to problems with communication and poor pain assessment. Cultural perceptions of cancer may influence individual conceptualization of pain and affect health-seeking behavior.