Rehabilitation interventions for depression symptoms among cancer patients in Palestine: A systematic review

BackgroundDepression enhances the disease burden in patients with cancer. Psychological interventions and the rehabilitation of depression are required as a part of palliative care for cancer patients to improve their quality of life and mental health.The aim of the study was to review the literature about depression rehabilitation interventions among patients with cancer in Palestine.MethodThe electronic databases used: PubMed, Science Direct, Research Gate, and Google Scholar to search for systematic review articles for the review study.ResultsA total of 23 articles were reviewed, including five from Palestine and five from Arab and Islamic nations. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions used to decrease symptoms of depression and enhance mental health among cancer patients represent the majority of interventions for depression rehabilitation in cancer patients. Interventions for depression rehabilitation among cancer patients in Palestine are only available from the perspective of palliative care, which also involves family education, managing the symptoms of cancer patients, and providing psychological support.ConclusionIn Palestine, non-pharmacological interventions, such as psychological interventions, are the primary options for treating and recovering from symptoms of depression. The management of symptoms in cancer patients also has a favorable impact on mental health and recovery from depression. In Palestine, there is a need for improvement in palliative care, particularly interventions for depressive symptoms. The main reason Palestinian patients with cancer have such limited treatment and recovery options are because of Israeli occupation

Table2_Rehabilitation interventions for depression symptoms among cancer patients in Palestine: A systematic review.docx

BackgroundDepression enhances the disease burden in patients with cancer. Psychological interventions and the rehabilitation of depression are required as a part of palliative care for cancer patients to improve their quality of life and mental health.The aim of the study was to review the literature about depression rehabilitation interventions among patients with cancer in Palestine.MethodThe electronic databases used: PubMed, Science Direct, Research Gate, and Google Scholar to search for systematic review articles for the review study.ResultsA total of 23 articles were reviewed, including five from Palestine and five from Arab and Islamic nations. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions used to decrease symptoms of depression and enhance mental health among cancer patients represent the majority of interventions for depression rehabilitation in cancer patients. Interventions for depression rehabilitation among cancer patients in Palestine are only available from the perspective of palliative care, which also involves family education, managing the symptoms of cancer patients, and providing psychological support.ConclusionIn Palestine, non-pharmacological interventions, such as psychological interventions, are the primary options for treating and recovering from symptoms of depression. The management of symptoms in cancer patients also has a favorable impact on mental health and recovery from depression. In Palestine, there is a need for improvement in palliative care, particularly interventions for depressive symptoms. The main reason Palestinian patients with cancer have such limited treatment and recovery options are because of Israeli occupation.</p

Table1_Rehabilitation interventions for depression symptoms among cancer patients in Palestine: A systematic review.docx

BackgroundDepression enhances the disease burden in patients with cancer. Psychological interventions and the rehabilitation of depression are required as a part of palliative care for cancer patients to improve their quality of life and mental health.The aim of the study was to review the literature about depression rehabilitation interventions among patients with cancer in Palestine.MethodThe electronic databases used: PubMed, Science Direct, Research Gate, and Google Scholar to search for systematic review articles for the review study.ResultsA total of 23 articles were reviewed, including five from Palestine and five from Arab and Islamic nations. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions used to decrease symptoms of depression and enhance mental health among cancer patients represent the majority of interventions for depression rehabilitation in cancer patients. Interventions for depression rehabilitation among cancer patients in Palestine are only available from the perspective of palliative care, which also involves family education, managing the symptoms of cancer patients, and providing psychological support.ConclusionIn Palestine, non-pharmacological interventions, such as psychological interventions, are the primary options for treating and recovering from symptoms of depression. The management of symptoms in cancer patients also has a favorable impact on mental health and recovery from depression. In Palestine, there is a need for improvement in palliative care, particularly interventions for depressive symptoms. The main reason Palestinian patients with cancer have such limited treatment and recovery options are because of Israeli occupation.</p

Table3_Rehabilitation interventions for depression symptoms among cancer patients in Palestine: A systematic review.docx

BackgroundDepression enhances the disease burden in patients with cancer. Psychological interventions and the rehabilitation of depression are required as a part of palliative care for cancer patients to improve their quality of life and mental health.The aim of the study was to review the literature about depression rehabilitation interventions among patients with cancer in Palestine.MethodThe electronic databases used: PubMed, Science Direct, Research Gate, and Google Scholar to search for systematic review articles for the review study.ResultsA total of 23 articles were reviewed, including five from Palestine and five from Arab and Islamic nations. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions used to decrease symptoms of depression and enhance mental health among cancer patients represent the majority of interventions for depression rehabilitation in cancer patients. Interventions for depression rehabilitation among cancer patients in Palestine are only available from the perspective of palliative care, which also involves family education, managing the symptoms of cancer patients, and providing psychological support.ConclusionIn Palestine, non-pharmacological interventions, such as psychological interventions, are the primary options for treating and recovering from symptoms of depression. The management of symptoms in cancer patients also has a favorable impact on mental health and recovery from depression. In Palestine, there is a need for improvement in palliative care, particularly interventions for depressive symptoms. The main reason Palestinian patients with cancer have such limited treatment and recovery options are because of Israeli occupation.</p

Systemic and cutaneous side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in Iraq, A cross-sectional study

Background: Coronavirus disease has recently emerged as a major health concern. The rapid development of vaccines for this infection raises concerns regarding its efficacy and safety. These concerns may lead to the refusal of vaccination, which will only open room for further pandemic flare-ups.The aim of this study was to assess the cutaneous and systemic side effects of COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive analytical study included 677 participants, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, the questionnaire was distributed online through Google form. Questions about vaccine preference, awareness, fear and side effects of vaccination. Three types of vaccines were used in Iraq (Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm) and their side effects were compared. Results: The three different vaccines have shown variable side effects. The major source of knowledge regarding vaccination was social media (44.5 %). Conclusion: Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the most preferred vaccine in this study. Refusal to vaccinate was mainly attributed to fear of thromboembolic complications. Most of the side effects were mild to moderate among the participants. The most prevalent side effects were pain at the site of injection, tenderness and exhaustion. While the most common cutaneous side effects were redness at site of injection, urticaria and bluish discoloration of the skin respectively

Factors associated with palliative care symptoms in cancer patients in Palestine

Abstract Palliative care is critical to redundancy in cancer patients seeking to improve their quality of life. Evaluation should be incorporated into clinical practice routines at all stages of cancer. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) was used to rate the intensity of ten symptom evaluations designed and validated for cancer patients in various languages and cultures. Therefore, the study aims to assess the symptoms reported using ESAS scores to identify patients who would benefit from palliative care that can improve the integration of palliative care into standard cancer care at An-Najah National University Hospital (NNUH). A cross-sectional study was selected for 271 cancer patients using a convenience sampling method at NNUH. Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics are described. Furthermore, patients' moderate to severe symptoms (score > 4) were obtained using ESAS-R. The survey consisted of 271 patients, with a response rate of 95%. The average age of the patients was 47 ± 17.7 years, ranging from 18 to 84 years. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1:1, 59.4% of the patients were outpatients, and 153 (56.5%) had hematologic malignancies. Fatigue (62.7%) and drowsiness (61.6%) were the most common moderate to severe symptoms in ESAS. Furthermore, pain (54.6%), nausea (40.2%), lack of appetite (55.0%), shortness of breath (28.5%), depression (40.6%), anxiety (47.2%) and poor well-being (56.5%) were reported. In conclusion, fatigue and drowsiness were the most reported symptoms according to the ESAS scale among cancer patients, while moderate to severe symptoms were reported in cancer patients using the ESAS. The ESAS is a functional tool for assessing cancer patients' symptoms and establishing palliative care services