Coping and Caregiving-Satisfaction among Caregivers of Patients with Cancer at the Uganda Cancer Institute and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between coping and caregiving satisfaction among informal cancer caregivers in Ugandan referral hospitals. A convenient sample of 436 consenting informal care givers aged 18 years and above were interviewed;a cross-sectional design was used. Because of the difficulty in defining a fixed population for this category of care givers, whoever was found at the bed side meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited into the study. A tri-dimensional coping scale (namely;problem solving, denial and venting) was used to measure coping. After controlling for all the relevant covariates (Patient’s age, sex of care giver, education of caregiver, respondent’s age, respondent’s education level, respondent’s education, respondent’s country of origin, respondent’s religion, stage of cancer, score on burnout scale), the venting aspect of coping had a significant effect on caregiving satisfaction (F = 1.83, P-value = 0.03). The above covariates accounted for 41.3% of the variability in care giving satisfaction scores (R2 = 0.413). Venting as a coping mechanism had a significant effect on caregiving satisfaction. There is need to pay attention to the coping strategies of informal cancer caregivers to enhance their care giving experience. There is need to help caregivers develop healthy coping methods as they participate in cancer care.

Side effects and acceptability measures for thermal ablation as a treatment for cervical precancer in low-income and middle-income countries:a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Objective Understanding the side effects and acceptability of thermal ablation(TA)is necessary before large-scale application in screen-and treat programmes can be justified in low-income and middle-income countries(LMICs).Design Articles were selected for inclusion by two independent reviewers.Risk of bias was assessed using the Downs and Black’s criteria.Summary data were extracted,and authors contacted for data when necessary.Proportions of interest and 95%CIs were estimated using a random effects model.Subgroup analysis was performed based on place of treatment and timing of post-treatment follow-up.Heterogeneity was estimated using the I^(2).Eligibility criteria Studies that reported one or more side effects or patient acceptability measures after treatment of the cervix using TA in women living in LMICs who completed a cervical cancer screening test.Included articles were clinical trials or observational studies available in English and published before 18 December 2020.Information sources Ovid MEDLINE,EMBASE,CINAHL,CAB Global Health and WHO Global Index Medicus were searched for this systematic review and meta-synthesis.Results A total of 1590 abstracts were screened,84 full text papers reviewed and 15 papers selected for inclusion in the qualitative review,10 for meta-synthesis(N=2039).Significant heterogeneity was found in screening tests used to identify women eligible for TA and in methods to ascertain side effects.The most commonly reported side effect during treatment was pain(70%,95%CI 52%to 85%;I^(2)=98.01%)(8 studies;n=1454).No women discontinued treatment due to pain.At treatment follow-up,common side effects included vaginal discharge(72%,95%CI 18%to 100%;I^(2)=99.55%)(5 studies;n=771)and bleeding(38%,95%CI 15%to 64%;I^(2)=98.14%)(4 studies;n=856).Satisfaction with treatment was high in 99%(95%CI 98%to 100%;I^(2)=0.00%)of women(3 studies;n=679).Conclusions TA results in a number of common side effects,though acceptability remains high among women treated in LMICs.Standardised side effect and acceptability reporting are needed as TA becomes more readily available.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020197605.