Co-occuring symptoms in older oncology patients with distinct attentional function profiles.
Inger Utne, Borghild Løyland, Ellen Karine Grov and 6 others
PMID 31358253WHAT IT FOUND
Older chemotherapy patients with worse self-reported attention had more severe anxiety, depression, sleep problems, fatigue and pain, and were more likely to have low income, higher comorbidity, and higher chemotherapy toxicity.
Key findings
01Patients in the low attentional function class reported more severe anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and fatigue, and lower energy, than those in the high class.
02Membership in the low attentional function class was associated with lower income, higher comorbidity, higher chemotherapy toxicity, state anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbance.
03Membership in the moderate attentional function class was associated with higher comorbidity, trait anxiety, lower morning energy, and previous cancer treatment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Patients were assessed only after they had started chemotherapy, so the study cannot show what their attention was like before treatment or how much it changed because of chemotherapy. Attentional function was measured by self-report and mainly reflected executive function, not objective testing across cognitive domains. The study was observational, so associations between symptoms, income, comorbidity, toxicity and attentional class do not prove cause. The paper did not test whether symptom management interventions improved attentional function.
Declared interests
Dr. Wong reported a conflict of interest outside the submitted work. The supplied text does not state funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that anxiety, depression, sleep problems, fatigue or pain caused the attentional difficulties. The study was observational, patients were not assessed before chemotherapy, and attentional function was self-reported.