The association of prognostic awareness with quality of life, spiritual well-being, psychological distress, and pain severity in patients with advanced cancer: Results from the APPROACH Study in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Advanced cancer patients' understanding of their illness is key for making informed treatment decisions. Despite the known importance of patients' awareness of their disease prognosis, it is debatable whether this awareness is positively, negatively, or not associated with clinical and psychological outcomes among patients with advanced cancer. This paper aims to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with prognostic awareness and its association with quality of life (QoL), spiritual well-being, pain control, and psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer in Indonesia. METHODS: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was part of a multicountry study titled "Asian Patient Perspectives Regarding Oncology Awareness, Care and Health (APPROACH)." Patients were asked what they knew about their cancer and treatment. QoL and spiritual well-being were measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp) questionnaire. Psychological distress experienced by patients was recorded via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Pain severity was also assessed. Data from 160 patients were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable regression models. RESULTS: Of the 160 patients who participated, 55 (34.4%) were unaware of their cancer stage. Those who were aware of their stage of cancer were younger than those who were not aware (45.7 years vs 50.4 years, p = .015). There was no significant difference in spiritual well-being and other domains of QoL between those who were aware and those who were not aware of their advanced cancer stage. There was also no significant difference in anxiety depression or pain severity, even after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics. SIGNIFICANT OF RESULTS: Given the high prevalence of patients who wrongly thought their cancer was curable, more could be done to improve disease and prognostic understanding among patients with advanced cancer in Indonesia. Those who were aware of their advanced cancer stage did not have a poorer QoL, nor did they have more anxiety or depression than those who were unaware. This finding suggests that concerns about the negative impact of prognostic disclosure may be unfounded.

The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol implementation in a national tertiary-level hospital: a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Successful colorectal surgery is determined based on postoperative mortality and morbidity rates, complication rates, and cost-effectiveness. One of the methods to obtain an excellent postoperative outcome is the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol. This study aims to see the effects of implementing an ERAS protocol in colorectal surgery patients. Methods: Eighty-four patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery at National Tertiary-level Hospital were included between January 2021 and July 2022. Patients were then placed into ERAS (42) and control groups (42) according to the criteria. The Patients in the ERAS group underwent a customized 18-component ERAS protocol and were assessed for adherence. Postoperatively, both groups were monitored for up to 30 days and assessed for complications and readmission. The authors then analyzed the length of stay and total patient costs in both groups. Results: The length of stay in the ERAS group was shorter than the control group [median (interquartile range) 6 (5-7) vs. 13 (11-19), P<0.001], with a lower total cost of [USD 1875 (1234-3722) vs. USD 3063 (2251-4907), P<0.001]. Patients in the ERAS group had a lower incidence of complications, 10% vs. 21%, and readmission 5% vs. 10%, within 30 days after discharge than patients in the control group; however, the differences were not statistically significant. The adherence to the ERAS protocol within the ERAS group was 97%. Conclusion: Implementing the ERAS protocol in colorectal patients reduces the length of stay and total costs.

Advance Care Planning in Indonesia: Current state and future prospects.

Indonesia is a low-middle income country in Southeast Asia, as well as the world's fourth most populous and largest archipelagic nation. Indonesia has approximately 1,300 ethnic groups that speak 800 different languages and are typically collectivist and religiously devout. With an aging population and an increasing number of cancer patients, palliative care in the country remains scarcely available, disproportionally distributed, and underfunded. All of these factors (economic level, geographical and cultural landscapes, and palliative care level of development) pose a considerable impact on the adoption of advance care planning in Indonesia. Nonetheless, recent advocacy initiatives promise some hopes in advance care planning in Indonesia. Furthermore, local studies suggested opportunities to implement advance care planning, particularly through capacity building and a culturally sensitive approach to it. This article describes the present situation of advance care planning in Indonesia, including its challenges and opportunities.

Cancer Survivors' Experiences With and Preferences for Medical Information Disclosure and Advance Care Planning: An Online Survey Among Indonesian Cancer Support Groups.

PURPOSE: To understand the experiences and preferences of Indonesian cancer survivors regarding medical information disclosure and advance care planning. METHODS: On the basis of systematic reviews of the scientific literature, qualitative studies, and expert-panel input, we developed an online survey that was distributed to nine cancer survivor support groups in Indonesia. RESULTS: A total of 1,030 valid responses were received. Most participants were younger than 60 years (92%), female (91%), married (78%), Muslim (75%), diagnosed with breast cancer (68%), highly educated (64%), and more than one year beyond diagnosis of their cancer. If diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, participants wished to be informed about their diagnosis (74%), disease severity (61%), estimated curability (81%), expected disease trajectory (66%), and estimated life expectancy (37%). Between 46%-69% of the participants wished to discuss four topics of advance care planning (end-of-life treatments, resuscitation, health care proxies, and what matters at the end of life); 21%-42% had done so. Of those who wished to discuss these topics, 36%-79% preferred to do so with their family members. The most important reasons for not being willing to engage in advance care planning were the desire to surrender to God's will and to focus on here and now. CONCLUSION: In a group of cancer survivors, most of them were highly educated, young, female, and diagnosed with breast cancer. Their preferences for medical information and advance care planning varied, with the majority wishing for information and involvement in advance care planning. Culturally sensitive advance care planning involves health care professionals eliciting individuals' preferences for medical information disclosure and discussing different topics in advance care planning conversations.

The Effect of Music Therapy for Improving Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer Pain: An Evidence Based Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Music therapy is a frequently used complementary and creative arts treatment in psychosocial cancer care. Particularly in advanced cancer populations and palliative care, music therapy has recently received high attention in both research and clinical care. This evidence-based case report is aimed to assesed the effect of music therapy for improving quality of life in patients with cancer pain. METHODS: the search was conducted on Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE according to clinical question. The studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected study was critically appraised. RESULTS: All selected studies significantly showed effectiveness of music therapy towards quality of life in cancer patient. CONCLUSION: Music therapy might be beneficial adjuvant for cancer patients.

Advance care planning for patients with cancer and family caregivers in Indonesia: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Individuals' willingness to engage in advance care planning is influenced by factors such as culture and religious beliefs. While most studies on advance care planning in Asia have been performed in high-income countries, Indonesia is a lower-middle-income country, with a majority of strongly collectivist and religiously devout inhabitants. We studied the perspectives of Indonesian patients with cancer and family caregivers regarding advance care planning by first exploring their experiences with medical information-disclosure, decision-making, and advance care planning and how these experiences influence their perspectives on advance care planning. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews among 16 patients with cancer and 15 family caregivers in a national cancer center in Jakarta and a tertiary academic general hospital in Yogyakarta. We performed an inductive thematic analysis using open, axial, and selective coding. The rigor of the study was enhanced by reflective journaling, dual coding, and investigator triangulation. RESULTS: Twenty-six of 31 participants were younger than 60 years old, 20 were Muslim and Javanese, and 17 were college or university graduates. Four major themes emerged as important in advance care planning: (1) participants' perceptions on the importance or harmfulness of cancer-related information, (2) the importance of communicating bad news sensitively (through empathetic, implicit, and mediated communication), (3) participants' motives for participating in medical decision-making (decision-making seen as patients' right or responsibility, or patients' state of dependency on others), and (4) the complexities of future planning (e.g., due to its irrelevance to participants' religious beliefs and/or their difficulties in seeing the relevance of future planning). CONCLUSIONS: Culturally sensitive approaches to advance care planning in Indonesia should address the importance of facilitating open communication between patients and their families, and the various perspectives on information provision, bad news communication, and decision-making. Advance care planning should focus on the exploration of patients' values, rather than drafting treatment plans in advance.

Opportunities and challenges for advance care planning in strongly religious family-centric societies: a Focus group study of Indonesian cancer-care professionals.

BACKGROUND: Most studies on advance care planning in Asia originate in high-income Asian countries. Indonesia is a middle-income Asian country characterized by its religious devoutness and strong family ties. This study aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of Indonesian healthcare professionals on advance care planning for cancer patients. METHODS: Focus-group discussions were conducted in July and August 2019 and were analysed using thematic content analysis enhanced by dual coding and exploration of divergent views. Purposive sampling of physicians and nurses actively engaged in cancer care in a national cancer centre and a national general hospital. RESULTS: We included 16 physicians and 16 nurses. These participants were open to the idea of advance care planning. We further identified four aspects of this planning that the participants considered to be important: 1) the family's role in medical decision-making; 2) sensitivity to communication norms; 3) patients' and families' religious beliefs regarding the control and sanctity of life; and 4) the availability of a support system for advance care planning (healthcare professionals' education and training, public education, resource allocation, and formal regulation). Participants believed that, although family hierarchical structure and certain religious beliefs may complicate patients' engagement in advance care planning, a considerate approach to involving family and patients' religious perspectives in advance care planning may actually facilitate their engagement in it. CONCLUSION: Indonesian healthcare professionals believed that, for culturally congruent advance care planning in Indonesia, it was essential to respect the cultural aspects of collectivism, communication norms, and patients' religious beliefs.

Palliative Screening Tools to Identify Palliative Care Consultation at Tertiary Hospital.

BACKGROUND: The need of palliative care is increasing, but it is not all achievable. It is necessary to identify palliative patients in order to provide the proper care according to the needs of the patients. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital has been making the identification using a palliative-patient screening questionnaire, but no performance assessment has been carried out on the screening tool. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the screening-tool questionnaire used on palliative-care patients at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in order to assess the need of palliative-care consultation and to find out the optimal cut-off point of palliative care screening tools. METHODS: The design of this study is cross-sectional and was conducted at Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central Public Hospital in July - October 2019. The sampling was collected by consecutive sampling. The reliability test was performed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The internal consistency was measured by the Cronbach's-Alpha coefficient. The criterion-validity test was run by an evaluation using the Pearson test. RESULTS: There were 64 subjects collected, the largest age group was 51-70 years (50%). Cancer was the main disease found in most of the subjects (56 people / 87.5%). The most common comorbidity was kidney disease (11 people). The most common palliative score distribution was 6 (15 people). The average score was 7.51. The mortality rate at the hospital was 51.6%, 33 patients from a total of 64 patients. From the palliative score distribution curve, the AUC value was 0.687 with a 95% CI (0.557-0.818). The optimal cut-off point was 8. All patients were palliative according to expert opinion based on WHO criteria. CONCLUSION: The performance of this tool is sufficient to screen palliative patients in a terminal and complex condition, but requires improvements to screen for patients who need early palliative care. The optimal cut-off point to determine the limit of consultation on palliative patients is found at score 8.

Palliative Prognostic Index Validation in Hospitalized Advanced Cancer Patients in Indonesia Tertiary Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Accurate prediction of survival is important for advanced cancer patients to determine medical interventions plan the patient's lives and prepare for their death. The palliative prognostic index (PPI) is most popular scores used worldwide to predict life expectancy in advanced cancer palliative patients. The purpose of this study was to test validity and the performance of PPI in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital as a Tertiary Referral Nasional Hospital. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study, uses total subject during study with consecutive sampling. Palliative prognostic index was assessed by a palliative care team (PCT). Demographic data were summarized as n (%) and Chi square for categorical variables and median or mean for continuous variables. Overall survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method with hazard ratios. The performance of PPI analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, includes for Receiving Operator Characteristics (ROC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow calibration test. RESULTS: 160 patients were included in the PPI study. The subjects  have an average age of 50.08 years and are mostly women 68.10%. 28 (17.50%) had symptoms of dyspnoea, 22 (14.60%) pneumonia, and 19 (11.90%) had pain. The number of patients who died during hospitalisation was 83 (51.90%). PPI sum score >6  109 (68,10%). Calibration performance PPI score reached x2 = 8.915 (p = 0.259), and showed correlation  r 0.799 (p 0.000). The accuracy of PPI scores in predicting survival in advanced cancer patients in studies for survival <3 weeks 81%, with a sensitivity of 85%, specificity 70%, PPV 86%, and NPV 67%. Predictive accuracy of survival within 3-6 weeks had 76%, sensitivity 66%, specificity 88%, PPV 85% and NPV 70%. PPI score discrimination performance is had a AUC value of 0.822 (95% CI 0.749-0.895). CONCLUSION: Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI ) is valid and has good performance in predicting the survival of advanced cancer patients and may  be used to help clinicians in palliative care consultation.

Characteristics of Palliative Patients, Insights of Patients and Families, and the Impact of Estimated Survival Time on Therapy Decisions.

BACKGROUND: chronic and terminal diseases require holistic therapy that covers the biopsychosocial aspect, and it can be found in palliative therapy. Patients who receive palliative therapy exhibit very diverse profiles. As such, researchers are keen to study the general characteristics of palliative patients. In addition, researchers will also assess the patient's and their family's insight that influences the success of the therapy and the impact of estimated survival time in making treatment decisions. METHODS: this research used cross-sectional descriptive analytic study and secondary data of 300 palliative patients who consult to Psychosomatic Palliative Team at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. The data were processed using SPSS version 25. The data processed included: sociodemographic characteristics, length of stay, incidence of death in hospital, DNR cases, the patient's and their family's insight, and the impact of estimated survival time on treatment decisions. RESULTS: most palliative patients were women (52.0%) aged 51 - 60 years (27.0%), unemployed (29.0%), and suffered from cancer (55.3%). In addition, the patients were generally treated for less than 1 month (83.6%), died in the hospital (37.3%), and consented to DNR orders (36.7%). These DNR cases are highly correlated to the family's understanding regarding the prognosis of the patient's condition (p = 0.022). The family's understanding of the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment goals (92.3%, 81.3%, and 87.7%) was better than the patient's (79.0%, 64.0%, and 69.7%). Furthermore, no link was found between the therapy choice (optimal, withholding, and withdrawing therapies) with the patient's estimated survival time (p = 0.174). CONCLUSION: female, elderly, and cancer patients most often get palliative therapy. The consent for DNR orders to palliative patient is notably frequent. Currently, the family's insight is much better than the patient's, which means that health care providers need to improve patient education and information. In addition, patients and families generally still opt for optimal therapy despite low estimated survival time.

Factors Associated with Pain in Palliative Patients and the Role of Spiritual Services in Pain Management.

BACKGROUND: pain is one of the most often symptoms experienced by patients with advanced or chronic diseases which can cause a decrease in the quality of life of palliative patients. Pain in palliative patients has not yet received enough attention, especially factors associated with pain and its management. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with pain in palliative patients and also assess whether there is a two-way relationship between psychological factors and pain. In addition, we will also see whether spiritual services play a role in relieving pain. METHODS: cross-sectional study were used and secondary data were obtained from medical records of 285 palliative patients at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. The data were processed to determine the psycho-socio-demographic characteristics, the reciprocal relationships of psychological and pain aspects, and the relationship of pharmacological therapy (opioids), non-pharmacological therapy (spiritual services), and combination of both therapies in pain management. RESULTS: of the 285 palliative patients, 60.3% had pain, which was found more in cancer patients (74.4% vs 25.6%). Pain was found more in patients aged 41-60 years (51.1%), women (51.2%), and unemployed (30.2%). The severity of the pain was found to be significant in patients with depressive symptoms (p=0.045), while patients with anxiety symptoms (p=0.155) and sleep disorders (p=0.619) had no significant relationship. Pain experienced by palliative patients was not statistically significant in causing depression (p=0.058), anxiety (p=0.107), and sleep disorder (p=0.639). Moreover, pain management with opioids, spiritual services, or combination of them turned out to have significant results (p=0.022). CONCLUSION: pain in palliative patients is mainly experienced by cancer patients and the elderly. Psychological factors affect the condition of pain, so the management that includes biopsychosocial aspect will be able to reduce pain significantly.

Development and challenges of palliative care in Indonesia: role of psychosomatic medicine.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize the current status of palliative care and the role of psychosomatic medicine in Indonesia. RECENT FINDINGS: Palliative care is not a new issue in Indonesia, which has been improving palliative care since 1992 and developed a palliative care policy in 2007 that was launched by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. However, the progress has been slow and varied across the country. Currently, palliative care services are only available in a few major cities, where most of the facilities for cancer treatment are located. Psychosomatic medical doctors have advantages that contribute to palliative care because of their special training in communication skills to deal with patients from the standpoints of both mind and body. SUMMARY: Palliative care services in Indonesia are established in some hospitals. Future work is needed to build capacity, advocate to stakeholders, create care models that provide services in the community, and to increase the palliative care workforce. Psychosomatic medicine plays an important role in palliative care services.