An exploratory study of social problems experienced by ambulatory cancer patients in Japan: Frequency and association with perceived need for help.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the social problems experienced by cancer patients in non-Western countries. The aims of this study were (1) to explore the characteristics and frequencies of social problems in cancer outpatients, as well as their associations with the need for help, and (2) to take the initial steps to develop an instrument for the assessment of cancer-related social problems in Japan. METHODS: A cross-sectional group of 109 patients completed the Social Problem Checklist and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30. Participants rated the levels of the problem severity and the need for help on each item. Factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity were also assessed. RESULTS: In total, 72.5% of the participants encountered ≥1 problem, and 33% experienced ≥1 serious problem. The amount of help needed tended to be lower than problem severity, especially for family and social life issues. The most common reason for not needing help, as reported by approximately 40% of patients who experienced problems, was the preference for self-management. A 3-factor model was extracted that included financial matters, medical information, and family and social life. Excellent internal consistencies for each factor and convergent correlations between the relevant subscales of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 and Social Problem Checklist were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of participants had cancer-related social problems, but they had ambivalent help-related needs. Interventions that enhance the patient's abilities for self-care could be essential to help cancer outpatients manage social problems in Japan.

The degree of social difficulties experienced by cancer patients and their spouses.

BACKGROUND: Although recent studies have increasingly reported physical and psychological problems associated with cancer and its treatment, social problems of cancer patients and their families have not been sufficiently elucidated. The present study aimed to identify cancer-associated social problems from the perspectives of both patients and their spouses and to compare and analyze differences in their problems. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional internet-based study. Subjects were 259 patients who developed cancer within the previous five years and 259 patients' spouses; the data were derived from two surveys in 2010 (patients) and 2016 (spouses) whose participants were not part of the same dyad but matched by propensity scores, estimated for age, sex, and the presence or absence of recurrence. We investigated the social difficulties of cancer patients and patients' spouses. Regarding social difficulties experienced by cancer patients and spouses, the 60 patient survey items were categorized into 14 labels by the Jiro Kawakita (KJ) method, which is a qualitative synthesis method developed by Kawakita to classify categorical data. RESULTS: Although patients had higher scores on most subcategories, young spouses aged 39 or younger and female spouses had difficulty scores as high as the corresponding patients on many subcategories. CONCLUSION: Health care providers should show sufficient concern for both patients and their spouses, particularly young and female spouses.

Pharmacists' perspectives on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in Japan with special reference to Kampo medicines: an internet survey with preliminary interviews.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists guide patients in their use of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM). The present study aimed to evaluate the opinions of Japanese pharmacists regarding TCIM, and to evaluate the usability of the evidence-based Japanese Integrative Medicine (eJIM) website from the pharmacists' point of view. METHODS: We conducted a two-stage, mixed-method study using interviews and an internet-based survey. In-person interviews were conducted with 20 pharmacists working in hospitals, dispensing pharmacies, or retail pharmacies. We analyzed their perspectives on TCIM and the usability of the eJIM. Based on the interviews, questionnaires for an internet survey conducted in February 2019 were developed. RESULTS: In the interviews, 55% of pharmacists acknowledged TCIM as a supportive measure for modern medicine, and 45% responded that TCIM was efficacious. However, pharmacists' evaluation levels of Kampo medicine were high, whereas pharmacists' attitudes towards dietary supplements were primarily negative. There have been various proposals to improve the eJIM, such as highlighting important information and providing more specific information on TCIM in Japan. An internet survey of 365 pharmacists showed that 67.4% were consulted by patients regarding TCIM. Of these TCIM, pharmacists' evaluation levels of Kampo medicines were high. Only 5% of the respondents had visited the eJIM website prior to the survey, and the overall usability score of each web page was high. CONCLUSIONS: Kampo medicines and dietary supplements are common TCIMs that pharmacists use or advise on in Japan. Pharmacists' evaluation levels of Kampo medicine were high, whereas pharmacists' attitudes towards dietary supplements were generally negative.

The Potential Role of Peer Support Interventions in Treating Depressive Symptoms in Cancer Patients.

Depressive symptoms are prevalent in cancer patients and are one of the most distressing symptoms in this population. Although mental health professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists are now engaged in cancer care, the management of depressive symptoms in cancer patients needs further improvement. Peer support interventions (PSIs) in cancer care have attracted substantial attention and have several advantages over support by medical professionals, potentially improving depressive symptoms in cancer patients. However, there may be some potential risks. Several strategies using PSIs have been developed to improve depressive symptoms and have been evaluated in randomized controlled trials. The strategies include education on stress management skills, promoting emotional support, counseling on specific topics that are difficult to discuss with others, helping patients navigate the use of resources, and promoting health-related behaviors to decrease depressive symptoms. In this paper, we present recent findings on PSIs in cancer, focusing on randomized controlled trials.

Comparison of patient and family assessments of quality of life of terminally ill cancer patients in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the extent and the nature of agreement on health-related quality of life (QOL) assessments between terminally ill cancer patients and their primary family caregivers in Japan, using a multidimensional QOL instrument including psychosocial and spiritual domains. METHODS: The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual well-being questionnaire was used to assess patients' QOL. Study subjects were inpatients of a palliative care unit (PCU), outpatients who applied for admission to the PCU, and their primary family caregivers. RESULTS: QOL ratings were obtained from 102 of 197 eligible patient-caregiver dyads. A moderate level of patient-family concordance on patients' overall QOL as well as families' underestimation of patients' QOL were observed. Families reported on observable domains of patients' QOL more reliably and assessed subjective aspects, such as psychospiritual concerns less accurately. Families tended to underrate the patients' social aspect of QOL, whereas most patients gave the highest rating on support from their families. The spiritual domain, particularly regarding faith, showed the least agreement. The size of the systematic bias between patient and family assessments on the patients' QOL was moderate (>0.50). CONCLUSIONS: Families' limited ability to assess psychosocial and spiritual aspects of patients' QOL may suggest the need for better approaches or measures to assess these aspects of a patient's life. The systematic bias was larger than in earlier studies. Further investigation is needed to identify factors affecting patient-family discord on QOL assessments to guide effective interventions to enhance patient-caregiver agreement. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Physician perspectives on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine and the national evidence-based Japanese integrative medicine information website: A mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: The evidence-based Japanese integrative medicine (eJIM) website was launched by the Japanese government in 2014 to provide information on integrative medicine to the general public and physicians. While Japanese physicians discourage the use of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM), there are very few reports that explore this issue. We aimed to understand the attitudes of Japanese physicians towards TCIM and evaluate the usability of the eJIM website according to physicians. METHODS: We conducted a two-staged, mixed-method study with interviews and an internet-based survey. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 12 physicians who worked for large-scale hospitals in two different areas of Japan. We assessed their understanding of TCIM and the usability of the eJIM website. Based on the interviews, the internet survey was developed and was conducted in February 2019. RESULTS: In the interviews, 12 physicians provided their opinion on TCIM and highlighted important areas, such as increasing the resources available for patients, and ensuring more information on TCIM is available. The internet survey of 231 physicians showed that 35% of the physicians used or advised on TCIM in clinical practice. Kampo medicines (87.8%) and dietary supplements (24.7%) were common. The physicians did not use TCIM primarily because of concerns regarding its efficacy, safety, and cost. Most physicians were not aware of which TCIM their patients used. CONCLUSION: Physicians in Japan may not have comprehensively understood TCIM and do not actively use TCIM. The eJIM website could help physicians to gain a better understanding of TCIM if improvements are made.

Internet survey on the provision of complementary and alternative medicine in Japanese private clinics: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Although the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the general population has been surveyed previously, the provision of CAM by Japanese physicians in private clinics has not been studied. Universal health insurance system was established in Japan in 1961, and most CAMs are not on the drug tariff. We aimed to clarify the current status of CAM provided by physicians at private clinics in Japan. METHODS: We conducted an internet survey on 400 directors/physicians of private clinics nationwide on the provision of CAM from February 6 to February 10, 2017. Survey items included attributes of subjects, presence/absence of sections or facilities for provision of CAM, proportions of health insurance coverage for medical practices, and source of information. Private clinic was defined as a clinic run by one physician, with less than 20 beds. RESULTS: Commonly provided CAMs were Kampo (traditional Japanese herbal) medicines (34.8%) and supplements/health foods (19.3%). CAMs on the drug tariff were provided in 46.5% of cases at the clinics, but only 16.5% of cases were provided CAMs which were not on the drug tariff, at different neighboring facilities. Among different specialties, Kampo medicines were prescribed at obstetrics/gynecology (54.0%), orthopedics (44.4%), and dermatology (43.0%). Clinics not providing any CAM accounted for 53.5%. With regard to health insurance coverage, 96.8% of the clinics provided only or mainly health services on the universal national health insurance tariff (29.8% and 67.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Kampo medicines represent the most commonly used CAM in private clinics in Japan, and universal national health insurance coverage is considered to be the reason for the high rate of their use.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Japan: A Cross-sectional Internet Survey Using the Japanese Version of the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: Although there have been several national survey studies on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in Japan, previous studies have not been compared with investigations conducted in other countries. An international CAM questionnaire known as I-CAM-Q was developed through a two-day international workshop in 2006. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of CAM by the general Japanese population using a modified version of the I-CAM-Q for the Japanese (I-CAM-QJ). METHODS: We developed the I-CAM-QJ to conduct an internet survey of 3,208 participants from the general population of Japan in February 2016. The respondents included 1,592 males (49.6%), 1,348 university graduates (38.8%), 1,105 individuals in good health (34.4%), and 1,028 individuals with long-term illness or disability (32.0%). RESULTS: Of the 3,208 respondents, 411 participants reported CAM use during the past 12 months (12.8%). The following therapies and products were used: Kampo medicines (over-the-counter Kampo medicines: 15.7%; prescribed Kampo medicines: 15.4%), dietary supplements 11.8%, massage services 3.9%, and physical therapy 3.5%. Regarding the use of self-care methods during the last 12 months, the following methods and products were used: bath salts 25.8% and walking 25.3%. CONCLUSIONS: An internet survey on CAM use by the general Japanese population with a modified I-CAM-Q (I-CAM-QJ) revealed that Kampo medicines and dietary supplements were the most commonly used CAMs in Japan.

Usability of the evidence-based Japanese integrative medicine (eJIM) information site: analysis with focus group discussion and internet survey on the general population.

BACKGROUND: The information site for evidence-based Japanese Integrative Medicine (eJIM) was launched by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to enable patients, medical staff, and others to obtain appropriate information, but it has not been objectively evaluated by users. The present study aimed to assess the usability of the eJIM website from the viewpoint of the general population. METHODS: We held a focus group discussion with 12 persons in November 2016, conducted an Internet survey of 1107 people (general population) in February 2017, and assessed their understanding of basic concepts of complementary and alternative medicine and usefulness of the contents after browsing the eJIM website. Levels of functional, communicative, and critical health literacy were also assessed. RESULTS: Most patients had never visited the eJIM website, because basic terms such as "integrative medicine" and "evidence" were not fully understood. Most overseas information in English was difficult to understand for the general Japanese population, although approximately 50% of the information was translated into Japanese. The degree of appropriate responses depended on health literacy level. CONCLUSION: The usability of eJIM website was low, because the currently available information did not meet the needs of the general population. Moreover, simpler expressions and visual tools would help the general population to understand the website contents more easily. A further survey that considers cultural and quantitative perspectives is warranted.