UNMET SUPPORTIVE CARE NEEDS AMONG BONE SARCOMA PATIENT IN SARAWAK

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of unmet supportive care needs among bone sarcoma patients in Kuching, Sarawak and explored the relationship between these needs with various associated factors.  Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among all bone sarcoma patients recruited from Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching, Sarawak. Data collection was done using an adopted questionnaire via interview assisted survey. Unmet needs were assessed using the 59-item Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF59). Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.    Results: A total of 75 respondents participated in the study. The patients were mainly above 36 years (56%), Sarawak natives (33.3%) and married (54.7%). Majority of patients were not undergoing any active treatment (52%). Nine out of 10 items with highest ‘moderate’ to ‘high’ level unmet needs were from the domain of Health system and information.  Needs from Physical and daily living, and sexuality domains were found to have statistically significant associations with ethnicity, age and marital status.  Conclusion: Patients who were diagnosed with bone sarcoma had substantive unmet supportive care needs in relation with their illness trajectory. It is important that such needs to be acknowledged in order to provide quality healthcare services to them.   Key words : bone sarcoma, unmet needs, Malaysia, SCNS-SF59,supportive care need

Single-Bone Forearm Salvage Procedure for a Child with Acquired Radial Clubhand in a Resource Limited Centre: A Case Report

Acquired radial clubhand deformity can be a consequence of large bone gap left by premature extensive radius osteomyelitis sequestrectomy. Single-bone forearm reconstruction is a salvage procedure when other motionpreserving techniques are not feasible. Here we present a child who developed radial clubhand deformity after an untimely sequestrectomy of radius diaphysis. In view of limited microsurgical .expertise in our centre, single-bone forearm procedure was done utilising simple Kirshner wires to achieve radio-ulnar fusion. The procedure resulted in painfree stable wrist, restoration of hand function and improved cosmesi

Perceptions of Receiving Bad News about Cancer among Bone Cancer Patients in Sarawak General Hospital - A Descriptive Study

Background: This study aimed to determine the perceptions and expectations of bone cancer patients with respect to their doctors and the breaking of bad news as well as the environment in which the news was delivered. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a pretested 41-item questionnaire was conducted using convenience sampling among bone cancer patients in Sarawak General Hospital. Face-to-face interviews were conducted after consent was obtained. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc., IL, US). Results: A total of 30 patients were interviewed. The majority of the respondents were younger than 40-years-old, Malays, and female. All of the respondents perceived that they received news in a comfortable place, agreed that the doctor used simple language and appropriate words during the interaction, and believed that the way the doctor delivered the news might influence their life. The majority of the respondents reported that their news was received without interruption, that the doctor was sitting close but without making physical contact, and time was given for patient to ask questions and they were informed accordingly. Conclusion: Delivering bad news regarding cancer is an important communication skill and a complex task that can be learned and acquired. Specially tailored training is proposed to improve medical practice in this area