Quality of life issues

Obsessive-compulsive and spectrum disorders overview and quality of life issues. J Clin Psychiatry 57 (suppl. 8), 3-6. 

On initial diagnosis, the patient and caregiver should be educated on the course of illness, available treatments, legal decisions, changes in lifestyle that will be necessary with disease progression, and other quality of life issues. 

People in treatment often begin to notice improvement in quality-of-life issues as well. You may begin to notice that you are not as irritable, and that your patience is returning. You also may notice that your positive emotions come back if they have been blunted over time, or you may notice that you are not feeling like you are on an emotional rollercoaster as often. Most people notice after successful treatment that emotions begin to stabilize. And if they do not, then it may be a sign that other types of therapy may be needed, perhaps related to another condition that escaped diagnosis before. 

Tier-4 Problems Quality-of-life issues, which are addressed after Tiers 1-3 have been addressed. 

Jackson S (1997) The patient with an overactive bladder - symptoms and quality-of-life issues. Urology 50(6A Suppl) 18-22... 

Risk analysis and risk management play an important role in public policy. These debates range from the development of environmental impact statements for the location of buildings to debates on household lead abatement and what chemicals can be allowed in the food supply. Quality of life issues such as asthma and/or loss of mental function are now recognized as important components of risk assessment. 

Early risk evaluation often just looked at death as the main endpoint, asking if a particular action or exposure led to increases in death or reduced number of working years. Advances in the biological sciences have required that more complex risk analysis be undertaken to evaluate quality of life issues and not just death as an endpoint. The challenge for both risk assessment and risk management will be to take into consideration quality of life and individual values into the decisionmaking process. 

Ignoffo and King have identified potentially important patient outcomes related to anticancer therapy (Table 5). By documenting the incidence of specific outcomes associated with patient care services, pharmacists can establish a threshold at which corrective measures can be instituted. Quality-of-life issues related to... 

When used appropriately, therapeutic interchange has proven to be an extremely effective method of medication cost management. An active and well-organized P T Committee is essential to the success of any therapeutic interchange program. As the focus on the costs involved with medication therapy in health care organizations increases, P T Committees will have to become even more creative in methods used to promote, evaluate, and monitor the effects of therapeutic interchange. The evaluation of quality of life issues, pharmacoeconomics. 

When evaluating response to an antidepressant agent, in addition to target signs and symptoms, consider quality-of-life issues such as role, social functioning, and occupational function. In addition, the tolerability of the agent should be assessed because the occurrence of side effects may lead to nonadherence to the regimen. 

Dickerson V. Quality of life issues Potential role for an oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and drospirone. J Reprod Med 2002 47 985-993. 

The cost-effective management of UTIs requires knowledge of its pathogenesis and causative organisms associated with the various clinical syndromes described in this chapter. The costs associated with managing a UTI include direct costs, such a laboratory tests, medication, and health care visits. The indirect costs include lost work time and general quality-of-life issues such as disease or therapy adverse effects. 

May help with quality of life issues (mood, sleep) but does not help with hot flashes... 

As director, Oppenheimer shouldered burdens both large and small, including numerous mundane matters such as living quarters, mail censorship, salaries, promotions, and other quality of life issues inevitable in an intellectual pressure-cooker with few social amenities. Oppenheimer relied on a group of advisers to help him keep the big picture in focus, while a committee made up of Los Alamos group leaders provided day-to-day communications between divisions. 

Our rationale is partly that prostate cancer is currently the most common non-skin cancer in America. It is estimated that in 2008, there will be 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 28,000 men will succumb to the disease (Prostate Cancer Foundation, 2008). Depending upon the staging of the disease, current therapies include hormonal treatments, radiotherapy, and radical prostatectomy. Those patients who have experienced relapse after hormonal therapy, are oftentimes in an advanced stage of disease and are treated with cytotoxics as docetaxel and mitox-antrone along with bisphosphonates (in the case of metastases) and radiation in case pain palliation is necessary. Unfortunately, these therapies can have major impacts on quality of life issues as side effects to therapies can often be severe (i.e. impotence). Clearly, new therapies directed towards managing or arresting the disease are necessary. 

He was treated weekly for 6 weeks and then every 2 weeks. He continued to show some improvement. Most of the changes for him were quality of life issues. He experienced an ease of breathing for several days after a treatment. His shoulders showed improved range of motion that allowed greater use of his arms. The best improvement in his opinion was the increased sense of well-being that he experienced with treatment. 

For example, in 1998 an employee with more than 20 years of experience with a large mining company known for its strong health and safety culture suffered a bilateral amputation of the hands. This incident involved work deemed to be safe, and the job had been done without incident for many years. The pain and suffering of the worker, his team members and family, and the community in which he lives continues to be felt. The man and his family must manage the lifelong consequences, including quality-of-life issues and the ability to provide financially for his family. 

Braito, R. (1988) The Polish Immigrant Experience and its Relevance of Quality of Life Issues Among the Elderly. Paper presented at the Atmual Meeting of the British Sociological Association. Edinburgh, 28-31 March. 

Cost effectiveness is a practical issue with silver-containing wound dressings, since they are generally more expensive than conventional ones. However, a thorough assessment of the cost effectiveness of a healthcare intervention is complicated and involves many factors, including resource use, quality-of-life issues, and economic parameters such as the ability to work. Silver-containing wound dressings have been found to be cost effective for a number of reasons, such as ... 

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