ABSTRACT

Year : 2022  |  Volume : 6  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 85

Cancer Rehabilitation, Diabetes, Haemodialysis: AB No: 49: Disability among Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Using ICF-Based Framework: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aishwarya A, Sundar Kumar V, Aravind Kapali, Palani Ramanathan
M.S.Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore

Correspondence Address:

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

DOI: 10.4103/2456-7787.361100

Purpose and Relevance: Patients with Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) are known to experience high burden of Disability. However, most disability assessments in the past have used unidimensional approaches focusing on domains such as physical, functional or work-related disability. Though World Health Organization, using ICF framework, developed WHODAS 2.0 as a generic tool for multidimensional assessment of disability in 2010, it has not been commonly used in patients with HNC. Multi-dimensional assessments provide deeper understanding of the problem and subsequent opportunities for appropriate solutions. This study aimed to determine the extent of disability in patients with HNC using WHODAS 2.0. Participants & Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 70 participants diagnosed with HNC across the cancer care continuum were recruited using convenience sampling from the in-patient and out-patient oncology facility of a large tertiary care hospital. Following informed consent, medicodemographic details were collected using a structured pro forma and WHODAS 2.0 administered by the researcher. Analysis and Results: All 70 participants (age: 55.9±10.3 years; 67% men) were recruited while undergoing their primary cancer therapies and the duration ranged from three to 30 months since diagnosis. The participants reported wide variability in disability (10.8±10.2%; range=58.3%). Maximum disability was seen in mobility domain (24.1%) followed by participation (22.2%), life activities (18.1%), cognition (13.4%), getting along (12.9%) and self-care (9.3%). Conclusion: Disability levels varied across domains and contrary to previous reports, the mean disability was found to be low. Assessing disability during primary cancer therapies rather than after their completion (as done in previous studies) could have contributed to lower levels of disability. This indicates a need for longitudinal studies evaluating multidimensional disability across the cancer care spectrumImplications: Multidimensional disability assessment is needed to provide a person-centric approach for optimal management of disability.

Keywords: Head and Neck Neoplasm, Disability Evaluation, Continuity of Patient Care