Table 4.
A descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and a comparison of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL symptom scales scores
| Symptom scales of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL | Baseline | Day 7 | P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue (7, 11) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 64.06±33.30 | 60.78±33.30 | |
| Home care | 63.64±15.58 | 64.28±22.38 | |
| Day care center | 46.90±20.77 | 44.84±21.70 | |
| Patient group | 0.0002 | ||
| Measurement | 0.399 | ||
| Interaction | 0.609 | ||
| Nausea and vomiting (9) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 23.55±26.49 | 4.58±7.53 | |
| Home care | 22.57±20.76 | 3.60±6.94 | |
| Day care center | 23.73±28.74 | 1.86±5.35 | |
| Patient group | 0.920 | ||
| Measurement | <0.0001 | ||
| Interaction | 0.837 | ||
| Pain (5, 12) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 79.74±21.94 | 28.76±13.78 | |
| Home care | 75.49±22.45 | 27.78±12.32 | |
| Day care center | 72.22±26.55 | 25.31±14.15 | |
| Patient group | 0.373 | ||
| Measurement | <0.0001 | ||
| Interaction | 0.547 | ||
| Dyspnea (4) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 28.10±30.82 | 13.73±17.86 | |
| Home care | 29.41±25.51 | 15.69±16.80 | |
| Day care center | 24.69±19.81 | 17.28±16.97 | |
| Patient group | 0.907 | ||
| Measurement | <0.0001 | ||
| Interaction | 0.292 | ||
| Insomnia (6) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 46.41±21.16 | 22.22±19.63 | |
| Home care | 48.37±19.22 | 29.41±12.73 | |
| Day care center | 45.68±16.40 | 24.69±14.89 | |
| Patient group | 0.304 | ||
| Measurement | <0.0001 | ||
| Interaction | 0.343 | ||
| Loss of appetite (8) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 54.90±24.79 | 39.22±29.59 | |
| Home care | 57.52±17.74 | 34.64±17.59 | |
| Day care center | 41.98±30.09 | 23.46±24.13 | 0.012 |
| Patient group | <0.0001 | ||
| Measurement | 0.253 | ||
| Interaction | |||
| Constipation (10) | |||
| Palliative care unit | 56.86±35.46 | 37.25±31.02 | |
| Home care | 55.56±27.22 | 35.29±23.49 | |
| Day care center | 43.21±25.84 | 25.93±19.25 | |
| Patient group | 0.115 | ||
| Measurement | <0.0001 | ||
| Interaction | 0.853 | ||
Notes:
*
P-value (analysis of variance with repeated measures); least significant differences test post hoc indicated on the differences between the day care center and palliative care unit and home care. Higher scores indicate more intense symptoms and worse QoL.
Abbreviations: EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative Care; QoL, quality of life.