Determine the Symptom Intensities, Performance and Hopelessness Levels of Advanced Lung Cancer Patients for the Palliative Care Approach.
Esra Dogan, Hanife Ozcelik
PMID 35234052WHAT IT FOUND
Advanced lung cancer patients reported high symptom burdens, particularly fatigue and poor well-being.
Higher symptom intensity and lower physical performance were strongly linked to increased hopelessness. This correlation suggests that managing physical symptoms may help improve psychological outlook.
Key findings
01The most frequent and severe symptoms were worsening general well-being, fatigue, and anorexia, with a high overall symptom burden.
02Hopelessness levels positively correlated with symptom burden and negatively correlated with Karnofsky performance scores.
03Women reported significantly higher levels of hopelessness and loss of motivation than men.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if reducing symptoms lowers hopelessness or if hopelessness worsens symptom perception. The sample was limited to patients in specific Turkish clinics, which may affect generalizability to other cultural or healthcare settings. Self-reported measures like the ESAS and Beck Hopelessness Scale rely on patient honesty and cognitive status, though patients were screened for orientation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating physical symptoms will automatically resolve hopelessness. The study shows an association, not a causal link, and does not test whether symptom management interventions actually improve psychological outcomes.