ABSTRACT
Introduction. Many studies have shown that patients with colorectal cancer have to be educated to self – manage their condition and improve the quality of their physical, mental and social life after cancer. Self-management support is broader than health services alone, because it can include support from other cancer survivors, community, online, family, friends etc. The aim of current study was to analyze the patient’s satisfaction of medical treatment and health care and, on this basis, to determine the necessity of self-management support following colorectal cancer treatment.
Material and methods. The current study included 315 patients with colorectal cancer. The participants were residents of seven different Bulgarian regions. The applied methods were documentary and questionnaire (anonymous), listing questions referring to the patient’s lifestyle and attitude to the disease.
Results and discussion. Of the investigated patients, 37.8% esteemed the quality of medical care as good, and only 16.2% affirmed it was excellent. The level of diagnosis and treatment competency was given a good and very good estimation by 64.5% of the respondents and 64.1% gave the same esteem for physicians’ good attitude. Dissatisfaction was revealed referring to psychological counseling activities – a total of 54.6% of the respondents. A relatively small part of the investigated individuals (20%) required discretion concerning their disease state.
Conclusion. The current study established a significant relationship between patient’s satisfaction and the necessity of self-management support to help for better life quality.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, self-management, self-management support.
Corresponding author:
Racho RIBAROV
Address: 95“Tsar Asen“ str., fl.4, ap.13, Sofia, Bulgaria
e-mail: r.ribarov@rsr-bg.com
