| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立台北護理學院 === 護理研究所 === 95 === The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships among symptom clusters, functional status, depression and quality of life in patients with the primary brain tumor. This is a cohort study design. The study used a convenience sample. Patients participated into the study from a neurosurgical ward of a medical center in the Northern Taiwan. Sampling criteria included patients with a diagnosis of primary brain tumor, scheduled for receiving hospital treatment, cognitive intact, able to communicate and consented to the study. Patients with a history of mental illness were excluded. Data were collected at three time points: before treatment, post treatment and one month following discharged from the hospital. The measures included the Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI); the Functional Independence Measure (FIM); the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – Depression (HADS-D); and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Brain Tumor (FACT-Br). Data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, percentile, dependent sample t-test, Pearson’s correlations, hierarchical multiple regressions and factor analysis.
A total of 63 patients participated. Fifty eight (92.1%) cases have a primary benign brain tumor and 5 cases (7.9%) have malignant brain tumor. Brain tumor is located mainly in the cerebrum (58.7%) and mesencephalon (20.6%). The most common reported symptom was headache (36.5%). Results suggested that the symptom clusters for brain tumor were Pain, Fatigue, Distressed (upset), Drowsy (sleepy), Dry mouth, Sadness and Numbness (Tingling). Number of symptoms and reported symptom severity were decline significantly over time. Results of the factor analyses revealed a four symptom clusters structure remain fairly stable overtime. These symptom clusters of primary brain tumor patients were identified as G-I, brain, biochemical and central symptoms.
The hierarchical regressions showed that the symptom clusters, functional status and depression explained 28.3% of the variance in the quality of life at one-month following discharged from the hospital. Overall, symptom clusters explained 12.4% (p＜.01), functional sta tus explained 9.7% (p＜.01) and depression explained 6.2% (p＜.05) in the quality of life.Results of this research provide vital important information for health professionals to caring patients with the primary brain tumor patients.
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