ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9243-2924
Current Organisations
Karolinska University Hospital
,
Karolinska Institutet-Huddinge Campus
,
Karolinska Institutet
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.EJON.2012.10.001
Abstract: To examine nurses' roles in the prevention and management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and to identify their related educational needs. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with a self-reported survey completed by 103 oncology nurses caring for and administering chemotherapy to cancer patients in the department of oncology in three Hong Kong public hospitals. The survey was developed to identify key issues pertinent to the role of nurses in managing CINV. Data were collected from the following areas (a) demographics, (b) assessment of CINV, (c) CINV management and (d) barriers and facilitators to good CINV practice. Only a third of respondents performed a CINV assessment before starting chemotherapy, and more than 40% reported that the use of a standardised assessment tool was uncommon. Nearly half recognised that they had inadequate knowledge of different aspects of CINV, but the majority could clearly state the most common pharmacological agents used to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea (88.3%) and vomiting (87.4%). The barriers respondents most frequently encountered in CINV prevention and management were lack of time and a heavy workload. Adopting a standardised CINV assessment tool and management protocol together with further professional training were identified as the major facilitators in improving CINV prevention and management. Respondents perceived their knowledge of CINV prevention and management as inadequate. There is a need to adopt a standardised assessment tool, to develop a management protocol and to introduce further professional training to meet the expanding needs of both patients and nurses.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-04-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-10-2002
DOI: 10.1046/J.1442-2018.2002.00121.X
Abstract: The present paper describes the process of reflective practise in clinical teaching through a workshop entitled 'Effective Clinical Teaching'. The clinical teachers were invited to analyze the content of a videotape in which various clinical teaching scenarios were presented. Following this, they discussed a series of questions designed to promote reflective activities and evaluated the interaction among the student, the client and the clinical teachers in each scenario. The teachers also identified the positive and negative aspects of the teaching approaches portrayed on the tape. Finally, the participants made recommendations that would improve the interaction and suggested alternate teaching strategies to enhance the learning outcome. In addition, there was sharing of clinical teaching experiences among the clinical teachers. Through this process of reflection on action, the clinical teachers were able to understand various teaching approaches as perceived by students, and to address the issues that might hinder student learning in clinical settings. Different reflective activities have also been proposed to enhance student's reflective learning skills.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-02-2019
DOI: 10.1111/AJCO.13137
Abstract: The aim of the study was to translate the Cancer Survivors' Unmet Needs (CaSUN) scale into Chinese, and then test its psychometric properties, for cancer survivors in Hong Kong. The original questionnaire was translated from English into traditional Chinese (CaSUN-Chi), following standardized procedures. An expert panel was invited to assess the items' content validity, and pilot test on 15 patients to evaluate its readability. The s le for psychometric evaluation was drawn from a large multinational study assessing unmet needs of cancer survivors, with a convenience s le of 300 was recruited. Cronbach's α coefficient was used to assess the internal consistency of the scale, and confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate its construct validity. The CaSUN-Chi had good readability and high content validity (S-CVI 0.98). Cronbach's α for the entire scale was 0.93 and 0.71-0.91 for the five subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the five-factor structure of the CaSUN-Chi was good fit to the data (CFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.071). The CaSUN-Chi showed desirable psychometric properties for assessing unmet needs of cancer survivors in Hong Kong. Using the newly translated scale to identify in idual supportive care unmet needs can bridge the gap between patients' experiences and expectations, and improve healthcare provision and resource allocation.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1002/RNJ.177
Abstract: To examine the potential value of a creative art-based activity as a caring modality for promoting holistic well-being among chronic stroke patients, and to explore the feelings and meanings that stroke patients derived from their experience in leisure art-based creative engagement (LACE). Qualitative design. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball s ling. In idual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Qualitative content analysis was performed. The design and implementation of LACE was guided by Watson’s theory of caring. Twenty-four participants completed the study. Four themes emerged from participants’ account of experiences with the LACE: (1) appreciation of opportunities, (2) appreciation of self, (3) appreciation of others, and (4) appreciation of life. From the perspective of the participants, engaging in LACE enhances their sense of enjoyment and self-expression. Furthermore, they perceived LACE as an affirmation of life and an empowering process strengthening their connection and appreciation with the self and others. This study adds evidence to existing literature on Watson’s theory-guided design and implementation of caring initiatives for community rehabilitation and has laid the groundwork for developing further evidencebased research in leisure art-based caring occasions for promoting holistic well-being in stroke rehabilitation.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-01-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12955-020-01646-Z
Abstract: Cancer patients often experience severe financial distress due to the high cost of their treatment, and strategies are needed to objectively measure this financial distress. The COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity-Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (COST-FACIT) is one instrument used to measure such financial distress. This study aimed to translate the COST-FACIT (Version 2) [COST-FACIT-v2] instrument into traditional Chinese (COST-FACIT-v2 [TC]) and evaluate its psychometric properties. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) translation method was adopted. The translated version was reviewed by an expert panel and by 20 cancer patients for content validity and face validity, respectively, and 640 cancer patients, recruited from three oncology departments, completed the translated scale. Its reliability was evaluated in terms of internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis has been used to evaluate the one- and two-factor structures of the instrument reported in the literature. The convergent validity was examined by the correlation with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological distress. Known-group validity was examined by the difference in the COST-FACIT-v2 (TC) total mean score between groups with different income levels and frequency of health care service use. The COST-FACIT-v2 (TC) showed good content and face validity and demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha, 0.86) and acceptable test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.71). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the one- and two-factor structures of the instrument that have been reported in the literature could not be satisfactorily fitted to the data. Psychological distress correlated significantly with the COST-FACIT-v2 (TC) score (r = 0.47 p 0.001). HRQOL showed a weak to moderate negative correlation with the COST-FACIT-v2 (TC) score (r = − 0.23 to − 0.46 p 0.001). Significant differences were seen among the COST-FACIT-v2 (TC) scores obtained in groups of different income level and frequency of health care service use. The COST-FACIT-v2 (TC) showed some desirable psychometric properties to support its validity and reliability for assessing cancer patients’ level of financial toxicity.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-11-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1468-3083.2011.04327.X
Abstract: In Hong Kong, at the time of the study, compression treatment was not considered usual care for venous leg ulcer patients. This randomized controlled trial compared quality of life (QOL) aspects in venous leg ulcer patients of over 55-years of age, of short-stretch compression (SSB), four-layer compression bandaging (4LB) and usual care (UC) (moist wound healing dressing, no compression). Study period was 24-weeks, the primary outcome was the patient functional status, disease-specific and generic health-related QOL measures and ulcer healing rates, comparing week 1 vs. week 24 (end) results. Assessments included photogrammetry, Brief Pain Inventory, SF-12 Health Survey, Charing Cross Venous Ulcer Questionnaire and Frenchay Activity Index. Data analysis was performed using, where appropriate Kaplan Meier and log rank chi-square and the repeated measures analysis of variance test. A total of 321 patients participated in the study, 45 (14%) withdrew for various reasons. Compression bandaging in both groups significantly reduced pain (P < 0.0001) and improved functional status and QOL. Healing rate at 24 weeks for both compression groups was significant (P < 0.001) for SSB this was 72.0% (77/107) vs. 67.3% in the 4LB group (72/107) and 29.0% (31/107) with usual care. The reduction in ulcer area from weeks 12 to 24 was significant only for SSB (P < 0.047). Compression was shown to be feasible for elderly community care patients in Hong Kong and is currently implemented as part of standard venous leg ulcer treatment.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Abstract: To assess the supportive care needs, quality of life (QoL) and symptoms of patients with cancer after the end of first-line treatments and into survivorship in Asian countries using Australian data as benchmark. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Australia and eight high-income (HICs) and low-/middle-income (LMICs) Asian countries (China, Japan, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Philippines) using validated scales (Cancer Survivors Unmet Needs scale), physical-symptom concerns (Cancer Survivors Survey of Needs subscale) and a single-item measure of global QoL perception. Data were collected from 1873 patients. QoL was highest in Australia and all other countries had significantly lower QoL than Australia (all P < 0.001). One-quarter of the patients reported low QoL (scores 1-3/10). The most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (66.6%), loss of strength (61.8%), pain (61.6%), sleep disturbance (60.1%), and weight changes (57.7%), with no difference in symptom experience between Australian data and all other countries, or between HICs and LMICs. Unmet needs of moderate/strong level were particularly high in all aspects assessed, particularly in the area of existential survivorship (psychosocial care) and receiving comprehensive cancer care. Australia and HICs were similar in terms of unmet needs (all low), but LMICs had a significantly higher number of needs both compared with Australia and HICs (all P < 0.001). Health care systems in Asian countries need to re-think and prioritize survivorship cancer care and put action plans in place to overcome some of the challenges surrounding the delivery of optimal supportive cancer care, use available resource-stratified guidelines for supportive care and test efficient and cost-effective models of survivorship care.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.EJCA.2012.04.005
Abstract: The importance of quality-of-life (QoL) research has been recognised over the past two decades in patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer. The aims of this systematic review are to evaluate the QoL status of H&N cancer survivors one year after treatment and to identify the determinants affecting their QoL. Pubmed, Medline, Scopus, Sciencedirect and CINAHL (2000-2011) were searched for relevant studies, and two of the present authors assessed their methodological quality. The characteristics and main findings of the studies were extracted and reported. Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality of the majority was moderate to high. While patients of the group in question recover their global QoL by 12 months after treatment, a number of outstanding issues persist - deterioration in physical functioning, fatigue, xerostomia and sticky saliva. Age, cancer site, stage of disease, social support, smoking, feeding tube placement and alcohol consumption are the significant determinants of QoL at 12 months, while gender has little or no influence. Regular assessments should be carried out to monitor physical functioning, degree of fatigue, xerostomia and sticky saliva. Further research is required to develop appropriate and effective interventions to deal with these issues, and thus to promote the patients' QoL.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-05-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00520-014-2278-0
Abstract: The aim of the study was to test a hypothesised model that supportive care needs (SCNs) have a mediating effect on the relationship between characteristics of (Chinese) head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors and their quality of life (QoL). A total of 285 Chinese HNC survivors who had finished cancer treatment 1 year earlier completed a self-reported survey covering demographic and clinical characteristics, the Chinese version of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Questionnaire (SCNS-SF34-C), the supplementary module of access to healthcare and ancillary support services and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer (FACT-H&N). The final path model showed that optimism, educational level, any coexisting disease, number of somatic symptoms, household income, eating ability, support from others, whether the cancer is under control or not and travelling time from home to hospital have direct or indirect effects, or both, on the QoL of HNC survivors, by way of unmet SCNs in the psychological, physical and/or health system information domains, which account for 64 % of the variance in the total FACT-H&N score. Our study demonstrated the mediating effects of SCNs in the association between HNC survivors and their QoL. Early needs assessment may help healthcare professionals to identify the actual needs of these survivors, and providing the information that HNC survivors want is a significant factor in meeting their psychological needs and thereby improving their overall QoL.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-11-2017
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 07-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-06-2023
DOI: 10.1002/CAM4.6204
Abstract: It is unknown whether financial well‐being mediates the impact of multimorbidity on the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) of cancer patients. Participants were recruited from three outpatient oncology clinics of Hong Kong public hospitals. Multimorbidity was assessed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Financial well‐being, the mediator of the association between multimorbidity and HRQoL outcomes, was assessed using the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy. The HRQoL outcomes were assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General (FACT‐G) and its four sub‐dimensions. Mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS PROCESS v4.1. Six‐hundred and forty cancer patients participated in the study. Multimorbidity had a direct effect on FACT‐G scores independent of financial well‐being (β for path c’ = −0.752, p 0.001). In addition, multimorbidity had an indirect effect on FACT‐G scores through its effect on financial well‐being (β for path a = −0.517, p 0.05 β for path b = 0.785, p 0.001). Even after adjustments were made for the covariates, the indirect effect of multimorbidity on FACT‐G via financial well‐being remained significant, accounting for 38.0% of the overall effect, indicating partial mediation. Although there were no statistically significant associations between multimorbidity, social well‐being, and emotional well‐being, the indirect effects of multimorbidity on physical and functional well‐being through financial well‐being remained significant. Poor financial well‐being attributable to multimorbidity partially mediates the direct impact of chronic conditions on HRQoL in Chinese cancer patients, particularly their physical and functional well‐being.
No related grants have been discovered for Winnie Kwok-Wei So.