Prognostic awareness and prognostic information preferences among advanced cancer patients in Kenya

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Prognostic awareness and prognostic information preferences among advanced cancer patients in Kenya
 
Creator Elias, Hussein Ozdemir, Semra Bairavi, Joann Achieng, Emmah Finkelstein, Eric A.
 
Subject Advanced cancer; Palliative care prognosis; prognostic awareness; prognostic information preferences; advanced cancer; Kenya
Description Background: Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya. Yet, little is known about prognostic awareness and preferences for prognostic information.Aim: To assess the prevalence of prognostic awareness and preference for prognostic information among advanced cancer patients in Kenya.Setting: Outpatient medical oncology and palliative care clinics and inpatient medical and surgical wards of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Kenya.Methods: The authors surveyed 207 adults with advanced solid cancers. The survey comprised validated measures developed for a multi-site study of end-of-life care in advanced cancer patients. Outcome variables included prognostic awareness and preference for prognostic information.Results: More than one-third of participants (36%) were unaware of their prognosis and most (67%) preferred not to receive prognostic information. Increased age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.07) and education level (OR: 1.18, CI: 1.08, 1.30) were associated with a higher likelihood of preference to receive prognostic information, while increased symptom burden (OR= 0.94, CI: 0.90, 0.99) and higher perceived household income levels (lower-middle vs low: OR= 0.19; CI: 0.09, 0.44; and upper middle- or high vs low: OR= 0.22, CI: 0.09, 0.56) were associated with lower odds of preferring prognostic information.Conclusion: Results reveal low levels of prognostic awareness and little interest in receiving prognostic information among advanced cancer patients in Kenya.Contribution: Given the important role of prognostic awareness in providing patient-centred care, efforts to educate patients in Kenya on the value of this information should be a priority, especially among younger patients.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Duke Global Health Institute COMPASS team
Date 2024-04-11
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — cross-sectional survey
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/phcfm.v16i1.4288
 
Source African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 16, No 1 (2024); 6 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4288/7033 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4288/7034 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4288/7035 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4288/7037 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4288/7036
 
Coverage Africa October 2021 and February 2022 ≥ 21 years old; diagnosed with Stage IV solid cancer; and able to understand English
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Hussein Elias, Semra Ozdemir, Joann Bairavi, Emmah Achieng, Eric A. Finkelstein https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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