Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a very severe disease, being its incidence increasingly reported and, nowadays, successfully treatable only when surgery is deemed to be feasible. Furthermore, the disease and the clinical effects related to the complementary therapies (radio and/or chemotherapy) may strongly affect, frequently with dramatic clinical side effects, the patient’s ability to endure physical exercise. In such context, the PR(PR), which has already been proved to be useful and effective in other diseases such as COPD, could play a pivotal role. The aim of this review article is, therefore, to analyze the pertinent data recently reported in English literature in order to highlight the role of rehabilitation as complementary therapy in the management of patients with NSCLC. The evidence currently available suggests that, when surgery is indicated, PR is a safe and feasible option, both during pre-operative and post-operative timing.The safety and feasibility of rehabilitation are proven even in inoperable patients, although to date, little evidence has been reported on its role in the overall management of such complex diseases.
Background: Measuring the state of health is a method for quantifying the impact of an illness on the day-to-day life, health and wellbeing of a patient, providing a quantitative measure of an individual’s quality of life (QoL). QoL expresses patient point of view by a subjective dimension and can express the results of medical intervention. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an essential component in the management of COPD patients, and measuring QoL has become a central focus in the study of this disease. Although nowadays several questionnaires for measuring the QoL in COPD patients are available, there are no questionnaires specifically developed for evaluating QoL in COPD patients undergoing respiratory rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to develop a novel questionnaire for the QoL quantification in COPD patients undergoing in-patient pulmonary rehabilitation program. Methods: The questionnaire, administered to COPD patients undergoing long-term oxygen therapy into a respiratory rehabilitation ward, was developed by a simple and graphic layout to be administered to elderly patients. It included one form for admission and another for discharge. It included only tips related to the subjective components of QoL that would be relevant for patient, although likely not strictly related to the respiratory function. A descriptive analysis was performed for the socio-demographic characteristics and both the non-parametric Wilcoxon T-test and the Cronbach’s alpha index were calculated for evaluating the sensitivity of the questionnaire to the effects of respiratory rehabilitation and for identifying its consistency. Results: The physical and psychological condition of the 34 COPD patients improved after the rehabilitative treatment and this finding was detected by the questionnaire (overall improvement: 14.2±2.5%), as confirmed by the non-parametric Wilcoxon test (p<0.01). The consistency detected by the Cronbach’s alpha was good for both the questionnaire at admission and at discharge (0.789±0.084 and 0.784±0.145, respectively), although some items did not adequately measure the intended outcome. Conclusions: This proposed questionnaire represents a substantial innovation compared to previous methods for evaluating the QoL, since it has been specifically designed for hospitalized COPD patients undergoing respiratory rehabilitation with serious respiratory deficiency, allowing to effectively determining the QoL in these patients.
BackgroundMeasuring the state of health is a method for quantifying the impact of an illness on the day-to-day life, health and wellbeing of a patient, providing a quantitative measure of an individual’s quality of life (QoL). QoL expresses patient point of view by a subjective dimension and can express the results of medical intervention. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an essential component in the management of COPD patients, and measuring QoL has become a central focus in the study of this disease.Although nowadays several questionnaires for measuring the QoL in COPD patients are available, there are no questionnaires specifically developed for evaluating QoL in COPD patients undergoing respiratory rehabilitation.The aim of this study was to develop a novel questionnaire for the QoL quantification in COPD patients undergoing in-patient pulmonary rehabilitation program.MethodsThe questionnaire, administered to COPD patients undergoing long-term oxygen therapy into a respiratory rehabilitation ward, was developed by a simple and graphic layout to be administered to elderly patients. It included one form for admission and another for discharge. It included only tips related to the subjective components of QoL that would be relevant for patient, although likely not strictly related to the respiratory function.A descriptive analysis was performed for the socio-demographic characteristics and both the non-parametric Wilcoxon T-test and the Cronbach’s alpha index were calculated for evaluating the sensitivity of the questionnaire to the effects of respiratory rehabilitation and for identifying its consistency.ResultsThe physical and psychological condition of the 34 COPD patients improved after the rehabilitative treatment and this finding was detected by the questionnaire (overall improvement: 14.2±2.5%), as confirmed by the non-parametric Wilcoxon test (p<0.01). The consistency detected by the Cronbach’s alpha was good for both the questionnaire at admission and at discharge (0.789±0.084 and 0.784±0.145, respectively), although some items did not adequately measure the intended outcome.ConclusionsThis proposed questionnaire represents a substantial innovation compared to previous methods for evaluating the QoL, since it has been specifically designed for hospitalized COPD patients undergoing respiratory rehabilitation with serious respiratory deficiency, allowing to effectively determining the QoL in these patients.
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