Grażyna Bączyk

Aim. Early neurological rehabilitation is essential to regain functional efficiency and achieve an optimal level of independence, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the work was to assess the functional performance of patients of working age after hemorrhagic or ischemic brain stroke admitted to the neurological rehabilitation unit and to assess additional factors aff ecting the eff ectiveness of neurological rehabilitation. Material and methods. The study group included 89 patients admitted to the neurological rehabilitation unit. The eligibility criterion for the treatment group was the age of 25-55 years (professionally active people) and the suff ered hemorrhagic or ischemic brain stroke. The functional performance assessment was performed using the Barthel Index and the NHPT (Nine Hole Peg Test) test. Socio-demographic data were obtained from the analysis of medical records. The survey was conducted on the fi rst and last day of stay. Results. There was a signifi cant impact of age on the type of stroke, with people with an ischemic stroke being indeed statistically older than those with hemorrhagic stroke (50± 5 years), compared to those with hemorrhagic stroke (46± 8 years). It has been established that the time spent in a unit is dependent on the age of the patient, the older the patient the longer the hospitalization lasts. The tests assessing the functionality of the hands have showed statistically signifi cant improvements in the study group. It has been demonstrated that the improvement of functional performance depended on gender. People with diabetes performed statistically worse (Me=28 vs. Me=21). Conclusions. 1. Older people after stroke need more time to rehabilitate. 2. There is a need for more rehabilitation in people with diabetes. 3. Longer rehabilitation for men is advisable regardless of the type of stroke.

Ovarian cancer is the worst prognostic gynaecological cancer and represents a grave clinical and social problem. Therefore, the study aimed to assess female patients’ emotional, cognitive, physical, and social quality of life. The study included 100 patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer and treated with chemotherapy in a day hospital setting at the Department of Radiotherapy and Gynaecological Oncology at the Wielkopolska Oncology Centre in Poznań. The patients were given a standard treatment regimen: paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 in a 3 h infusion and carboplatin at an AUC of 6 (5–7) following Calvert as a 1 h infusion for six cycles administered every 21 days. In addition, standardised questionnaires of the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQOV28 were used. The analysis of the collected material shows that the patients reported the highest level of general health and quality of life at the study’s first stage, i.e., before chemotherapy (mean value of 59.67 points). In contrast, the patients’ lowest level of general health and quality of life was observed in the fourth stage of the study (mean value of 45.04 points). The problem of side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, affected the entire study group and was more troublesome in the final stage of treatment for all patients. In the study’s first stage, the mean score on the nausea and vomiting symptom scale was 16 points; in the fourth stage, the mean score was 40.07. Of the clinical factors, the symptom of fatigue was the most severe health problem for the subjects. The mean score of the fatigue scale in the study’s first stage was 37.11 points, while a score of 70.33 was obtained in the fourth stage of the research. The multivariate linear regression model showed that the lack of professional activity lowers quality of life, especially combined with other side effects of chemotherapy, including hair loss in Stage IV of the study. This study shows that women with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy need exceptional support from psychologists, nurses, dieticians, and physiotherapists.