SAGE Open Nursing (Oct 2023)

Quality of Life among Ethiopian Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review of Literatures

  • Ahmed Nuru Muhamed MSc,
  • Bogale Chekole MSc,
  • Fikremariam Endeshaw Tafesse MSc,
  • Getnet Dessie MSc,
  • Berihun Bantie MSc,
  • Bisrat Fikadu Habtu MSc,
  • Abdumejid Mustefa Shemsu MPH

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608231202691
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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Background Assessment of quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients can provide an overall picture of the patient's adaptation to the disease and maintain long-term health and well-being. Determining the QoL in cancer patients could help with better care and could be as prognostic as medical factors and the survival benefit that pharmacological treatment could provide. The main objective of this review was to determine the prevalence of QoL among Ethiopian adult cancer patients. Methods A systematic review was conducted using the “Preferred Reporting Results of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” guidelines. Databases such as PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, AMED, Embase, the Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, World Health Organization's Hinari portal, and African Journals Online databases were searched from January 2022 to June 2022. Google, Google Scholar, and university repositories were used to access unpublished studies. Two reviewers independently screened the data using a standardized data extraction format and appraised their quality using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results In this review, 10 studies were included. The prevalence of poor QoL ranged from 52 to 89.6. The physical, role, social, and emotional functioning were the most affected domains of QoL and have been significantly associated with QoL. Financial difficulty was the most important predictor of QoL among Ethiopian cancer patients. Pain, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, and poor appetite were also reported as predictors of QoL. Low income, lower educational status, unmarried status, underweight, anxiety, and depression, advanced stage of cancer, patients with ≤2 cycles of chemotherapy, and the presence of comorbid diseases were significantly correlated with QoL. Conclusions The QoL of an Ethiopian cancer patient was low. Quality of life assessments, appropriate symptom management, integration of psycho-oncology care, and providing economic support shall be considered to improve their QoL.