Satisfaction with information provision is associated with baseline but not with follow-up quality of life among lymphoma patients: Results from the PROFILES registry

BACKGROUND

Appropriate information provision is an important determinant of patient satisfaction and might also affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived information provision at baseline and HRQoL, anxiety and depression among lymphoma patients two years later.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This study is part of a longitudinal, population-based survey among all lymphoma patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2009 as registered in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry (southern part of The Netherlands). Patients between six months and 10 years after diagnoses received the first questionnaire including the EORTC QLQ-INFO25, EORTC QLQ-C30 and HADS at baseline (T1) and the second two years later (T2). All analyses are stratified for time since diagnosis (< 2 and ≥ 2 years since diagnosis).

RESULTS

At baseline 69% of the patients (n = 1186) responded, at T2 355 (30%) patients responded. For patients < 2 years since diagnosis, receiving more medical test information was associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning (ß = 0.46; p = 0.04) and lower levels of anxiety (ß = -0.41; p = 0.04) at baseline, no prospective relationships were found. For patients ≥ 2 years since diagnosis, receiving more medical test information (ß = 0.20; p = 0.03) was associated with better emotional functioning, while receiving more treatment information was associated with worse emotional functioning (ß = -0.21; p = 0.04). Among this group, satisfaction with the received information was associated with better functioning (ß ranging from -0.15 to -0.33; all p < 0.05) at baseline, and these relationships remained significant prospectively for physical (ß = -0.13; p = 0.02) and emotional functioning (ß = -0.13; p = 0.04) only. Stability of satisfaction with received information over time was associated with better emotional (ß = -0.13) and better cognitive functioning (ß = -0.09; p < 0.05) at T2.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed that satisfaction with received information among lymphoma patients was associated with better HRQoL at baseline (only for patients ≥ 2 years since diagnosis), but not at follow-up when corrected for baseline HRQoL.