Role of Physiotherapy in Palliative Care among Cancer Patients
Physiotherapy in Palliative Care among Cancer Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55735/hjprs.v3i9.180Keywords:
cancer , palliative care, physiotherapyAbstract
Background: The role and benefits of physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises in palliative care have been proved. Disability has been a common problem among patients who need palliative care focusing on cancer patients. There is an increasing literature that provides evidence that rehabilitation interventions improve quality of life and functional status and lessen symptoms such as fatigue, pain, swelling and anxiety among this population. Objective: To review the benefits of physiotherapy exercises and rehabilitation intervention among cancer patients who are under palliative care. Method: This study is a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 41 was calculated using Epitool. Data for this study was collected from cancer patients from the oncology and medicine ward of Nawaz Shareef Social Security Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Consent forms printed both in Urdu and English were signed by every patient recruited in this study. A convenient sampling technique was employed for recruiting cancer patients in this study. Cancer patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited in this study. Data was collected from cancer patients from Nawaz Shareef Social Security Hospital. The patients were inquired about how better they felt after their physiotherapy exercise session. The physiotherapy interventions employed were hot packs, bed mobility, ankle pumps, the elevation of limbs, active and passive Range of motion exercises, manual stretching and relaxation exercises. The Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 23 was utilized to calculate the results. Descriptive data was calculated for qualitative data. Fisher’s test was utilized to determine the association between the interventions used and the type of cancer. Results: This showed us that 82.9% of cancer patients felt much better after their physiotherapy intervention session. Fisher’s exact test showed us that a significant association is present between bed mobility and type of cancer and ankle pumps and type of cancer. Conclusion: The results of this study conclude that physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises should be an essential part of the palliative care of a cancer patient. This study concludes that interventions like bed mobility, ankle pumps, the elevation of limbs and manual stretching must be incorporated in the palliative care plan for cancer patients.
References
Granger CL. Physiotherapy management of lung cancer. Journal of Physiotherapy 2016; 62(2): 60-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2016.02.010
Cavalheri V, Jenkins S, Hill K. Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in A ustralia and N ew Z ealand. Internal medicine journal 2013; 43(4): 394-401. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-5994.2012.02928.x
Sabers SR, Kokal JE, Girardi JC, et al. Evaluation of consultation-based rehabilitation for hospitalized cancer patients with functional impairment. Mayo Clinic Proceedings; 1999: Elsevier; 1999. p. 855-61.
https://doi.org/10.4065/74.9.855
McCarthy EP, Phillips RS, Zhong Z, Drews RE, Lynn J. Dying with cancer: patients' function, symptoms, and care preferences as death approaches. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2000; 48(S1): S110-S21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2000.tb03120.x
Morris JN, Suissa S, Sherwood S, Wright SM, Greer D. Last days: a study of the quality of life of terminally ill cancer patients. Journal of chronic diseases 1986; 39(1): 47-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9681(86)90106-2
Montagnini M, Javier NM, Mitchinson A. The role of rehabilitation in patients receiving hospice and palliative care. Rehabilitation Oncology 2020; 38(1): 9-21. DOI: 10.1097/01.REO.0000000000000196
Wallston KA, Burger C, Smith RA, Baugher RJ. Comparing the quality of death for hospice and non-hospice cancer patients. Medical care 1988: 177-82. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3765565
Hasegawa T, Akechi T, Osaga S, et al. Unmet need for palliative rehabilitation in inpatient hospices/palliative care units: a nationwide post-bereavement survey. Japanese journal of clinical oncology 2021; 51(8): 1334-8. https://doi.org/10.1093/jjco/hyab093
Javier NS, Montagnini ML. Rehabilitation of the hospice and palliative care patient. Journal of palliative medicine 2011; 14(5): 638-48. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2010.0125
Porock D, Kristjanson LJ, Tinnelly K, Duke T, Blight J. An exercise intervention for advanced cancer patients experiencing fatigue: a pilot study. Journal of palliative care 2000; 16(3): 30-6.
https://doi.org/10.1177/082585970001600306
Higginson IJ. End-of-life care: lessons from other nations. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2005; 8(supplement 1): s-161-s-73. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2005.8.s-161
Marcant D, Rapin C-H. Role of the physiotherapist in palliative care. Journal of pain and symptom management 1993; 8(2): 68-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(93)90102-2
Saraiva D. Tradução e validação do questionário Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) em adolescentes e adultos jovens com diagnóstico de osteossarcoma de extremidade inferior. 2007.
de Vasconcelos Silva ACP, Araujo BM, Spiegel T, da Cunha Reis A. May value-based healthcare practices contribute to comprehensive care for cancer patients? A systematic literature review. Journal of Cancer Policy 2022: 100350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpo.2022.100350
Frank C, Hobbs NR, Stewart GI. Rehabilitation on palliative care units: case discussion. Journal of Palliative care 1998; 14(2): 50-3. https://doi.org/10.1177/082585979801400208
Khan KA, Mazuquin B, Canaway A, Petrou S, Bruce J. Systematic review of economic evaluations of exercise and physiotherapy for patients treated for breast cancer. Breast cancer research and treatment 2019; 176: 37-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-019-05235-7
Oldervoll LM, Loge JH, Lydersen S, et al. Physical exercise for cancer patients with advanced disease: a randomized controlled trial. The oncologist 2011; 16(11): 1649-57. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2011-0133
Zyzniewska-Banaszak E, Kucharska-Mazur J, Mazur A. Physiotherapy and physical activity as factors improving the psychological state of patients with cancer. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021; 12: 772694. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.772694
Pyszora A, Budzyński J, Wójcik A, Prokop A, Krajnik M. Physiotherapy programme reduces fatigue in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care: randomized controlled trial. Supportive care in cancer 2017; 25: 2899-908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3742-4
Shallwani SM, Thomas R, Poitras S, Toupin-April K, Sheill G, King J. Canadian oncology physiotherapists’ perspectives of physical activity in people with advanced cancer: a mixed-methods study. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice 2022: 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2022.2138663
Rashleigh L. Physiotherapy in palliative oncology. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 1996; 42(4): 307-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0004-9514(14)60395-0
Laakso L. The role of physiotherapy in palliative care. Australian family physician 2006; 35(10): 781.
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/143875471.pdf
Temel JS, Greer JA, Muzikansky A, et al. Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer. New England Journal of Medicine 2010; 363(8): 733-42. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1000678
Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, Kroenke CH, Colditz GA. Physical activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. Jama 2005; 293(20): 2479-86. DOI:10.1001/jama.293.20.2479
Gleeson M, Bishop NC, Stensel DJ, Lindley MR, Mastana SS, Nimmo MA. The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise: mechanisms and implications for the prevention and treatment of disease. Nature reviews immunology 2011; 11(9): 607-15. https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3041
Antoni MH, Lutgendorf SK, Cole SW, et al. The influence of bio-behavioural factors on tumour biology: pathways and mechanisms. Nature Reviews Cancer 2006; 6(3): 240-8. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc1820
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2023 The Healer Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CC BY
