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Congruence in symptom assessment between hepatocellular carcinoma patients and their primary family caregivers in China

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Abstract

Objectives

The aims of this cross-sectional study were to explore the agreement in symptom evaluation results between patients and their family caregivers and to search for the possible factors influencing the agreement.

Methods

A convenience sample of 280 dyads consisting of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and their family caregivers was included in this study. All of them completed the symptom checklist of Chinese version of the M. D. Anderson symptom inventory and the evaluations of six common symptoms of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Results

The levels of agreement ranged from moderate to substantial. A number of factors associated with caregivers (particularly depression state, age, others helping to care for the patient or not, and the relationship with patient) and patients (traditional Chinese medicine treatment, religion, KPS scores, and educational levels) were significantly correlated with levels of disparity on some symptoms.

Conclusion

The study illustrates that family caregivers of hepatocellular carcinoma patients can provide reasonable reports on patients’ symptoms. Healthcare providers need to pay special and sufficient attention to the caregivers’ depression.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (no. B903022D) and Innovation Project of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (no.10ZS56). The authors would like to acknowledge the generosity of those individuals who took part in the study. The authors would also like to thank the following individuals for their help with the study: Rong Wu, Yali Liu, and Xiaolei Duan.

Conflict of interest

We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, and there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service, and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in/or the review of the manuscript entitled. We have full control of all primary data and agree to allow this journal to be reviewed if requested.

Funding

This work was supported by Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (no. B903022D) and Innovation Project of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (no.10ZS56). There are no financial disclosures from the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nursing School, The Second Military Medical University, Room 316, No.800 Xiangyin Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Xiang-yan Liu, Jie Shen, Zhi-xia Ye, Juan Li, Wen-ting Cao, Chen Hu & Yan Xu

Authors
  1. Xiang-yan Liu
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  2. Jie Shen
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  3. Zhi-xia Ye
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  4. Juan Li
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  5. Wen-ting Cao
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  6. Chen Hu
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  7. Yan Xu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yan Xu.

Additional information

Xiang-yan Liu and Jie Shen contributed equally to this paper.

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Liu, Xy., Shen, J., Ye, Zx. et al. Congruence in symptom assessment between hepatocellular carcinoma patients and their primary family caregivers in China. Support Care Cancer 21, 2655–2662 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1836-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1836-1

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