In China, caregiving for cancer patients is primarily the responsibility of family members. This role often exposes family caregivers to the contemplation of mortality. Death anxiety among family caregivers may influence the care they offer to cancer patients.
This study aims to evaluate the prevailing level of death anxiety among Chinese family caregivers of cancer patients and identify its influencing factors.
This cross-sectional study followed the STROBE statement.
A total of 220 family caregivers of cancer patients were recruited from a prominent tertiary hospital in southern China. The survey included a general information questionnaire, the Collett–Lester Fear of Death Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale and the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. In addition to descriptive statistics, ANOVA, mean differences, correlations and regression analyses were computed.
The average score for death anxiety among family caregivers of cancer patients was 104.27 ± 21.02. Death anxiety was negatively correlated with a positive coping style and social support. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that marital status, death education, patients' fear of death and coping style accounted for 41.0% of the variance in death anxiety among family caregivers.
Family caregivers of cancer patients experienced a moderate level of death anxiety. Individuals who were unmarried or divorced, lacked death education, had negative coping styles or cared for patients with fear of death tended to have high levels of death anxiety.
Healthcare providers should act as credible educators to reduce caregivers' death anxiety by imparting positive coping styles and accurate knowledge and values about death so caregivers can provide high-quality care to patients.
To investigate the prevalence of physical inactivity in older adults living in nursing homes and explore the determinants of physical inactivity by using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour model.
A multisite, cross-sectional study was performed by convenience sampling and questionnaire survey.
A total of 390 nursing home residents were recruited from three nursing homes in Southern China from May 2022 to April 2023. The participants completed a self-designed general information questionnaire, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale, Exercise Benefits Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Short Physical Performance Battery test. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, Spearman correlation analysis, and ordinal logistic regression were applied for data analysis.
The prevalence of physical inactivity among the nursing home residents reached 88.46%. Ordinal logistic regression results showed that exercise self-efficacy, perceived exercise benefits, physical function, availability of physical activity instruction, having depression, number of chronic diseases and living with spouse were the main influencing determinants of physical inactivity and explained 63.7% of the variance.
Physical inactivity was considerable in nursing home residents in China and influenced by complex factors. Tailored measures should be designed and implemented based on these factors to enhance physical activity while considering the uniqueness of Chinese culture.
Healthcare professionals should enhance physical activity of residents by increasing benefits understanding, boosting self-efficacy, improving physical function, alleviating depression and integrating personalized physical activity guidance into routine care services. And more attention should be paid to the residents who had more chronic diseases or did not live with spouse.
Physical inactivity is a significant problem in nursing home residents. Understanding physical inactivity and its determinants enables the development of tailored interventions to enhance their physical activity level.
This study was reported conforming to the STROBE statement.
Nursing home residents who met the inclusion criteria were recruited.
To examine the level and influencing factors of discharge readiness among patients with oesophageal cancer following oesophagectomy and to explore its association with post-discharge outcomes (post-discharge coping difficulty and unplanned readmission).
Oesophageal cancer is common and usually treated via oesophagectomy in China. The assessment of patient's discharge readiness gradually attracts attention as patients tend to be discharged more quickly.
Prospective observational study. The STROBE statement was followed.
In total, 154 participants with oesophageal cancer after oesophagectomy were recruited in a tertiary cancer centre in Southern China from July 2019 to January 2020. The participants completed a demographic and disease-related questionnaire, the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale and Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale before discharge. Post-discharge outcomes were investigated on the 21st day (post-discharge coping difficulty) and 30th day (unplanned readmission) after discharge separately. Multiple linear regressions were used for statistical analysis.
The mean scores of discharge readiness and quality of discharge teaching were (154.02 ± 31.58) and (138.20 ± 24.20) respectively. The quality of discharge teaching, self-care ability, dysphagia and primary caregiver mainly influenced patient's discharge readiness and explained 63.0% of the variance. The low discharge readiness could predict more risk of post-discharge coping difficulty (r = −0.729, p < 0.01) and unplanned readmission (t = −2.721, p < 0.01).
Discharge readiness among patients with oesophageal cancer following oesophagectomy is influenced by various factors, especially the quality of discharge teaching. A high discharge readiness corresponds to good post-discharge outcomes.
Healthcare professionals should improve the discharge readiness by constructing high-quality discharge teaching, cultivating patients' self-care ability, mobilizing family participation and alleviating dysphagia to decrease adverse post-discharge outcomes among patients with oesophageal cancer.
Patients with oesophageal cancer after oesophagectomy who met the inclusion criteria were recruited.