Inclusion of Social Work in Comprehensive Palliative Care to Address Psychosocial Needs of Advanced Cancer Patients in Vietnam.
Quynh Xuan Nguyen TruongThe Ngoc Ha ThanDuong Le DaiKhoa Duy DuongEric L KrakauerBumi HermanSurasak TaneepanichskulPublished in: Journal of social work in end-of-life & palliative care (2024)
The need for psychosocial care among patients with serious illnesses and available social work services continues to be great, especially in low- and middle-income countries. To evaluate the specific needs of Vietnamese cancer patients' quality of life (QOL), prevalence and severity of symptoms including depression and anxiety, and caregiver burden were assessed. Data on QOL, mood, caregiver burden, and other parameters were collected through face-to-face and phone- interviews. The QOL assessed by European Quality of Life scale version 5D (EQ5D) was poor but consistent with other studies of cancer patients. Assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and depression Scale (HADS), borderline or severe anxiety and depression were prevalent. Caregiver burden was high for one third of study participants. These results confirm the need among cancer patients for psycho-social support services that currently are rarely available in Vietnam. In light of this need, a comprehensive palliative care (CPC) service, including social work, was created to improve the quality of life (QOL) of Vietnamese cancer patients.
Keyphrases
- palliative care
- advanced cancer
- mental health
- healthcare
- social support
- end stage renal disease
- depressive symptoms
- risk factors
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- primary care
- bipolar disorder
- prognostic factors
- peritoneal dialysis
- emergency department
- machine learning
- electronic health record
- quality improvement
- affordable care act
- chronic pain
- patient reported
- deep learning
- artificial intelligence