Artikel: Palliative care and spiritual well-being in lung cancer patients and family caregivers (2016)

Spiritual well-being is an important dimension of quality of life (QOL) and is a core
component of quality oncology and palliative care. In this analysis, we aimed to describe spiritual
well-being outcomes in a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported Program Project that tested
the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary palliative care intervention in lung cancer patients and their
family caregivers (FCGs).

Methods

Patients undergoing treatments for NSCLC and their FCGs were enrolled in a prospective,
quasi-experimental study. Patients and FCGs in the intervention group were presented at interdisciplinary
care meetings and received four educational sessions that included one session focused on
spiritual well-being. Spiritual well-being for patients was measured using the FACIT-Sp-12, and FCG
spiritual well-being was measured using the COH-QOL-FCG spiritual well-being subscale. Multivariate
analysis of covariance was undertaken for subscale and item scores at 12 weeks, controlling
for baseline, by religious affiliations (yes or no) and group assignment.

Results

Religiously affiliated patients reported better scores in the Faith subscale and items on
finding strength and comfort in faith and spiritual beliefs compared to non-affiliated patients. Nonaffiliated
patients had better scores for feeling a sense of harmony within oneself. By group, patients
who received the intervention had significantly better scores for the Meaning/Peace subscale.

Conclusions

Our findings support the multidimensionality of spiritual well-being that includes
constructs such as meaning and faith for lung cancer patients and FCGs with or without religious
affiliations. Palliative care interventions should include content that targets the spiritual needs of both
patients and FCGs.

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.