Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis have to face many symptoms from disease progression and treatment. These symptoms cause suffering and affect physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual of the patients, resulting in decreased quality of life and might increase the death rate of these patients. Therefore, the study of symptoms in ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis will lead to effective symptom management and maximize benefits for the patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the symptom clusters of ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 150 ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis from two dialysis centre of the university hospital and specialized kidney hospital in Bangkok. The instruments consisted of Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) and Dialysis Symptom Index-THAI (DSI-THAI). The data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis. Results: The 8 clusters of symptoms were found: 1) gastrointestinal, 2) musculoskeletal and fluid volume 3) neurological 4) irritation of the mucous membranes and skin 5) depression 6) sleep disturbance 7) sexual 8) anemic. Conclusion: The results of this study can be raised awareness and used as the information for the health-care provider to develop the intervention to manage unpleasant symptoms which lead to improving the quality of life.

This study aims to examine the effects of the respiratory rehabilitation program on perceived self-efficacy and dyspnea in patients with lung cancer. This is a quasi-experimental research study with a two-group repeated measures design with the pretest and post-test at Week 4 and Week 8. The theory of self-efficacy by Bandura was used as the conceptual framework. The sample consisted of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer Stage 4 who visited the oncology clinic in a university hospital. Twenty-eight patients were enrolled and equally allocated to the control group and experimental group. The control group received routine nursing care only, whereas the experimental group received the respiratory rehabilitation program. The program comprised dyspnea educating, breathing exercise, using handheld fans, effective coughing, respiratory strengthening training, and follow-up by phone in the third and sixth week. Data for perceived self-efficacy and dyspnea were collected before the program start and reassessment in the fourth and eighth week. Instrumentation was composed of the respiratory rehabilitation program, demographic data, perceived self-efficacy assessment for respiratory rehabilitation, and the Cancer Dyspnea Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-factor repeated measures analysis of variance and by comparing means between groups. The result revealed that almost all of the patients in the sample were men, and the mean age of the experimental group and control group was 65.80 years (standard deviation = 8.80) and 73.00 years (standard deviation = 7.60), respectively. There was significant different in the mean score of perceived self-efficacy and dyspnea between the experimental group and the control group (p < .050). Based on the findings of the study, the respiratory rehabilitation program should be used to promote self-efficacy and relieve dyspnea in patients with lung cancer.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the modified Thai Spiritual Well-Being Scale in patients with advanced cancer. Method: This cross-sectional study was employed to investigate psychometric properties. Some 196 participants from three tertiary hospitals in Bangkok and suburban Thailand were asked to complete a Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ), The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS), and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS). Validity was determined by known-group, concurrent, and constructs validity. Reliability was estimated using internal consistency by Cronbach's α coefficients. Results: Three factors were extracted: so-called existential well-being, religious well-being, and peacefulness accounted for 71.44% of total variance. The Cronbach's α coefficients for total SWB, EWB, RWB, and peacefulness were 0.96, 0.94, and 0.93, respectively. Significance of Results: These findings indicate that the Thai SWBS is a valid and reliable instrument, and it presented one more factor than the original version.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most prevalent cancer globally. The disease and its treatment significantly impact marital intimacy, particularly among individuals who have undergone ostomy creation. Therefore, it is necessary to explore their experiences. Objective: This study aimed to explore the experiences of colorectal cancer survivors in marital intimacy after ostomy creation and clarify the domain and sub-domain of marital intimacy in CRC survivors with ostomy. Method: This study used a qualitative descriptive design, and participants were selected by purposive sampling from two hospitals in Henan province, China. Sixteen patients participated in this research, and the data were collected through an in-depth interview from June 27 to September 27, 2023. Colaizzi’s method was used to analyze the data. Results: Five themes emerged from data analysis, including physical intimacy, psychological intimacy, social intimacy, spiritual intimacy, and operational intimacy. Conclusion: By profiling the experiences of CRC survivors in marital intimacy after ostomy creation, the domain and sub-domain of marital intimacy were clarified in this cohort and revealed that ostomy had a severe effect on marital intimacy among colorectal cancer survivors. The results from this study could be used by nurses, midwives, and other healthcare professionals to design specific interventions covering all aspects of marital intimacy. Also, the findings will guide the development of a particular instrument for marital intimacy in CRC survivors with ostomy.

Objective: : The purpose of this study was to assess the factors that predict the effectiveness of palliative care in patients with advanced cancer.Method: : Cross-sectional data were collected from 240 patients recruited from three tertiary care hospitals in Bangkok and suburban Thailand aged 18 years or older who were willing to participate; able to speak, read, and write Thai; were not receiving aggressive cancer treatment; and had been diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer. Participants were asked to complete a Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ), a Palliative Care Assessment Form (PCAF), and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS).Results: : The significant predictors of the effectiveness of palliative care in patients with advanced cancer were found to be spiritual well-being (p = 0.000) and palliative care strategies: a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial care, mind–body intervention, and spiritual care; physical management; and traditional medicine, herbal treatment, and diet management (p = 0.027). The likelihood of effectiveness for patients whose spiritual well-being and palliative care strategies scores increased by an average of one point increased by factors of 1.058 and 2.271, respectively.Significance of Results: : These findings suggest that patients who experienced better spiritual well-being and who employed a variety of palliative care strategies also experienced enhanced effectiveness of palliative care.