Dorota Włodarczyk

Despite the current shift in medicine towards patient-centered care, clinicians rarely utilize patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in everyday practice. We examined the predictors of quality- of-life (QoL) trajectories in breast cancer (BC) patients during the first year after primary treatment. A total of 185 BC patients referred for postoperative radiotherapy (RT) filled in the EORTC QLQ-C30 Questionnaire assessing global QoL, functioning and cancer-related symptoms before starting RT; directly after RT; and 3, 6 and 12 months after RT. We used decision tree analyses to examine which baseline factors best allowed for predicting the one-year trajectory of the global QoL after BC treatment. We tested two models: ‘basic’, including medical and sociodemographic characteristics, and ‘enriched’, additionally including PROs. We recognized three distinct trajectories of global QoL: ‘high’, ‘U-shape’ and ‘low’. Of the two compared models, the ‘enriched’ model allowed for a more accurate prediction of a given QoL trajectory, with all indicators of model validation being better. In this model, baseline global QoL and functioning measures were the key discriminators of QoL trajectory. Taking PROs into account increases the accuracy of the prediction model. Collecting this information in the clinical interview is recommended, especially for patients with lower QoL.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, which is now going on its third year, and its consequences experienced in almost every sphere of life may eventually lead to pandemic fatigue. Previous research indicates that one of the important determinants of the negative consequences of the pandemic is gender. Based on the WHO’s definition of pandemic fatigue, a study was undertaken to determine the level of pandemic fatigue and concerns expressed in relation to the pandemic in Poland. Methods: A survey among 1064 respondents was conducted using the CATI technique during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Questionnaires adopted: the Polish adaptation of the Pandemic Fatigue Scale (PFS), Subjective Fatigue Symptoms (SFS), and the COVID-19 Concerns Checklist (CCC) and sociodemographic questions. The following statistical methods were employed: ANOVA analysis of variance, Mann–Whitney U test or Kruskal–Wallis test, and Chi-square test. Results: The analysis showed that women received higher overall PFS, information PFS, SFS, and pandemic-related concerns scores. Other factors that were associated with pandemic fatigue were age, treatment for chronic diseases, receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine, and COVID-19 survivor status. Conclusions: Women in Poland are experiencing pandemic fatigue, subjective fatigue symptoms, and concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic at a higher rate than men. Along with implementing interventions focused on public health safety, it seems reasonable to put in place strategies to assist people who are less capable of coping with prolonged stressful situations.