Analysis of Factors Influencing the Palliative Care Needs of Patients with Advanced Esophageal Cancer Based on Social Ecological Systems Theory
FAN Yingying
SUN Juan
JIN Yuhong
ZHANG Caifeng
JI Juanjuan
Abstract：Objective To investigate and analyze the current status of palliative care needs and the associated influencing factors in patients with advanced esophageal cancer.Methods A survey was conducted on 294 patients with advanced esophageal cancer using the general information questionnaire,family cancer avoidance communication scale,death anxiety scale,Anderson symptom assessment scale(gastrointestinal version),and perceived social support scale.SPSS 25.0 software was utilized to analyze the statistical relationships between variables.Results The study comprised 190 male and 104 female participants,with an average age of(69.73±20.28)years.The average total score for palliative care needs was found to be(39.09±15.97)points.Factors such as the number of patient comorbidities,family avoidance of cancer communication,death anxiety,symptom clusters,and perceptions of social support were identified as influencing factors in the palliative care needs of patients with advanced esophageal cancer(P＜0.05).Specifically,cancer communication avoidance,death anxiety,symptom clusters,and social support from patients' families collectively accounted for 38.7％ of the variation.Conclusion The findings indicate that the palliative care needs of patients with advanced esophageal cancer are substantial and are closely associated with physical symptoms,death anxiety,family avoidance of cancer communication,characteristics of symptom clusters,and social support.It is imperative for medical professionals in both hospital and community settings to conduct thorough assessments of the care needs of patients with advanced esophageal cancer and implement appropriate intervention measures through diverse channels to mitigate patients' palliative care needs and enhance their quality of life during the end-of-life stage.
Keywords：esophageal cancerpalliative carefear of deathsocial ecological systems theory
Publication Date：2025-07-13
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 2318-2324 )