Risk factors for low self-care self-efficacy in cancer survivors: Application of latent profile analysis.
Qingmei Huang, Fulei Wu, Wen Zhang and 3 others
PMID 34003608WHAT IT FOUND
In 1,367 Chinese cancer survivors, 19.4% had low self-care confidence and poorer communication with doctors.
Low education, single status, complications, late stage and low social support were linked to this low-confidence group.
Key findings
01The analysis placed 265 patients (19.4%) in a low self-care confidence group, 734 (53.7%) in a medium group and 368 (26.9%) in a high group.
02Patients in the low-confidence group had lower communication-with-physician scores than medium and high patients (5.22, 5.97 and 6.60, where higher scores mean better communication).
03Compared with the high-confidence group, the low-confidence group was more likely to have low education, single/divorced/widowed status, complications, late cancer stage and low social support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited by convenience sampling from seven hospitals in China, so the groups may not represent other populations. The data were collected at one time point, so the study cannot show that the factors caused low confidence or that targeting them changes outcomes. The sample included more than 15 cancer types, so the profiles may not fit every cancer. Self-care behaviour was measured only as communication with physicians, not as broader self-care or clinical outcomes. Because this was a secondary analysis, many disease-related and psychological details were unavailable. No intervention was tested, so the paper does not show that nurses' counselling or screening improves self-care.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurses can improve cancer self-care by targeting these factors. The study measured associations at one time point and did not test any intervention.