Development of a support program that has continued since the end of life to improve QOL in the bereaved family caregivers of cancer patients

• Project/Area Number: 17K17459
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Clinical nursing
• Research Institution: Tokyo Women's Medical University (2018-2020); National Cancer Center Japan (2017)
• Principal Investigator: KAWAHARA Miki 東京女子医科大学, 看護学部, 助教 (10758840)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: Quality of Life / がん患者の遺族 / ケアの満足度 / 終末期から継続した支援 / 縦断研究 / Quality of life / Pre-post study

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Although previous retrospective cross-sectional studies of the bereaved family members of cancer patients have suggested that lower satisfaction with care given to terminal cancer patients was related to lower QOL of the bereaved family, the retrospective cross-sectional study design has limitations. This study aimed to clarify family caregivers’ satisfaction with the care of terminal cancer patients and bereaved families ’QOL.
We enrolled primary caregivers of cancer patients who hospitalized in palliative care unit. The participants completed the self-administered questionnaires at two time periods, within a month (baseline) and after 6 months since patients died. A total of 114 caregivers were included in each analysis. After the patient’s death, family caregivers’ QOL (mental component summary(MCS) of SF-36) significantly differed between low- and high-satisfaction caregiver groups (p=0.04). MCS and satisfaction with care were significantly correlated (p=0.01).

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

がん患者の遺族に対するケアについて、終末期から継続することが重要であること、死別後のQOLへの関連要因を示したことで、今後の遺族ケアの立案に対して新たな視点を提供した。このことは、今後、日本人の特徴を取り入れた遺族のQOLの側面、および遺族のQOLを向上するために必要なケアが検討・体系化され、前向き介入研究のデザインが構築されることに貢献したと予想する。遺族の QOLを改善することは、早期社会復帰を通した経済的なメリットもにもつながり社会的な意義についても大きいと考える。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] What Contributes to Satisfaction with Care for Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients Admitted to General Wards? A Qualitative Study (2020)
  • Author(s): Morishita-Kawahara Miki、Kamibeppu Kiyoko
  • Journal Title: Open Journal of Nursing Volume: 10 Issue: 11 Pages: 1081-1094
  • DOI: 10.4236/ojn.2020.1011077
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Relation between Family Functioning and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers of Patients with Terminal Cancer Hospitalized in General Wards (2020)
  • Author(s): Morishita-Kawahara Miki、Kawahara Takuya、Kamibeppu Kiyoko
  • Journal Title: Open Journal of Nursing Volume: 10 Issue: 12 Pages: 1233-1240
  • DOI: 10.4236/ojn.2020.1012089
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Explicit prognostic disclosure to Asian women with breast cancer: A randomized, scripted video-vignette study (J-SUPPORT1601). (2019)
  • Author(s): Mori M, Fujimori M, van Vliet LM, Yamaguchi T, Shimizu C, Kinoshita T, Morishita-Kawahara M, Inoue A, Inoguchi H, Matsuoka Y, Bruera E, Morita T, Uchitomi Y.
  • Journal Title: Cancer Volume: 125 Issue: 19 Pages: 3320-3329
  • DOI: 10.1002/cncr.32327
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 終末期がん患者の家族介護者におけるケアの満足度と死別後の精神的側面を中心とした健康アウトカムとの縦断的関連 (2020)
  • Author(s): 川原美紀、津村明美、相木佐代、清好志恵、岩本由美子、松井春希、川原拓也
  • Organizer: 緩和・支持・心のケア合同学術大会2020
• [Presentation] Development of Educational Program for Mixed Groups of Citizens and Healthcare Providers to Facilitate Readiness Toward Advance Care Planning: Pilot Study. (2019)
  • Author(s): Nagae H, Takahashi Z, Sakai S, Harasawa N, Kawahara M, Iwasaki T, Ikeda M,Tanigaki S, Katayama Y, Watanabe K, Takenouchi S.
  • Organizer: The 16th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The effects of eye contact when disclosing prognosis to women with breast cancer: a rondomized scripted vedeo-vignette study (J-SUPPORT 1601) (2018)
  • Author(s): M. Fujimori, M. Mori (co-primary author), L. van Vliet, T. Yamaguchi, C. Shimizu, T. Kinoshita, M. Kawahara, H. Inoguchi, Y. Matsuoka, J. Bensing, E. Bruera, T. Morita, Y. Uchitomi
  • Organizer: MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting on Supportive Care in Cancer 2018
• [Presentation] Explicit prognostic disclosure to asian women with breast cancer: a randomized, scripted video-vignette study (J-Support 1601) (2018)
  • Author(s): M. Mori, M. Fujimori (co-primary author), L. van Vliet, T. Yamaguchi, C. Shimizu, T. Kinoshita, M. Kawahara, H. Inoguchi, Y. Matsuoka, J. Bensing, E. Bruera, T. Morita, Y. Uchitomi
  • Organizer: MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting on Supportive Care in Cancer 2018
• [Presentation] Barriers for an implementation of educational program for patients taking oral cancer agents in Japan: consideration of utilization of MOATT(TM) (2018)
  • Author(s): K. Kunitomo, A. Tsumura, M. Kawahara, N. Mikoshiba
  • Organizer: MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting on Supportive Care in Cancer 2018
• [Presentation] 一般病棟に入院中の終末期がん患者の家族介護者における家族機能とQuality of Lifeとの関連 (2017)
  • Author(s): 川原美紀、小池和彦、川原拓也、上別府圭子
  • Organizer: 第22回日本緩和医療学会学術大会
• [Book] Quality of life for family caregivers is impacted by satisfaction with care. (2021)
  • Author(s): Morishita-Kawahara Miki
  • Total Pages: 4
  • Publisher: Research Outreach