Self‐rated health over a two‐year period after breast cancer surgery: prospective ratings and retrospective rating by means of a health‐line

Abstract

Background There are difficulties in clinical assessment of patients' health, and there is a need for evaluating instruments that measures self‐rated health over time and that are based on the patient's own experiences of their health situation. Aim To describe the trajectory of self‐rated health given in a retrospective health‐line and its correspondence with the ratings of health given at six different time points during 2 years following a first breast cancer surgery. Designs and methods An explorative prospective cohort study presented according to the STROBE guideline. At six time points, 459 women (26–63 years) completed assessments of self‐rated health during 2 years following a first breast cancer surgery. Subsequently, the women retrospectively rated health month by month over the two years by means of a health‐line. The women were included consecutively in 2007–2009, last data collection was performed in 2012. Statistical analyses were used to compare the health‐line with previous ratings. Results Most women (74–88%) rated their health as good, very good or excellent at all six time points. Health‐line ratings were somewhat lower than the ratings made at the actual time‐point; however, the illustrated trajectories back in time followed the same patterns as the women had reported during the two years. The lowest ratings of self‐rated health were reported at four months after surgery. The retrospective illustrations varied greatly, and poorer health was reported by women undergoing chemotherapy, with lower education and who reported more life events. Conclusions Even if the retrospective ratings by the health‐line were somewhat lower than the ratings at the actual time‐point, the health‐line captures the health trajectory. The individual graphic illustration by means of a health‐line may serve as a basis for assessment and support patient health narratives. The findings indicate that life event, lower education and chemotherapy influence concurrent and retrospective self‐assessment of health.

Evaluating the association of self-reported psychological distress and self-rated health on survival times among women with breast cancer in the U.S.

“…For this study, age, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, marital status, health coverage, and poverty income ratio were selected as a priori confounders consistent with the extant literature [ 27 – 29 ]. Also, we selected three measures of health care access as these variables may influence health outcomes.…”

“…Individuals who rated their health are poor have two-folds increased risks of all-cause mortality compared to those who rated their health as excellent [ 26 ]. Among women who died from breast cancer and cancer-related deaths, self-rated health perception declines with increasing life events [ 27 ]. These life events may include but are not limited to the presence of coexisting medical conditions, illness and death among family members, a decline in socioeconomic status, marriage and divorce, problems with childbirth or with children, and crime victimization [ 27 ].…”

Examining the Pathoplastic Moderating Role of Education on the Association between Depressive Mood and Self-Rated Health among Cancer Survivors: A Population-Based Study

“…Education, one of the key variables representing individual socioeconomic status, is another established factor associated with cancer survivors' SRH [2,11]. Individuals with higher levels of education are expected to have better access to healthcare resources and are likely to report a higher level of SRH [16,17].…”