The role of satisfaction with care among factors affecting health-related quality of life in people with cancer: a cross-sectional study

Background: Despite advances in therapies that have increased the duration of post-diagnosis survival, living with long-term adverse effects of cancer and its treatment is common. This study aims to evaluate satisfaction with care (SC) as a dimension affecting Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among people with cancer, considering other sociodemographic and clinical variables supposedly impacting HRQoL. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an ad hoc form to collect sociodemographic and clinical variables. The SF-12 and TPQ were used to evaluate HRQoL and SC, respectively. The relation between SC, sociodemographic, clinical variables (predictors), and HRQoL (criterion) was assessed using hierarchical linear regression, controlling for age, cancer stage, and time of care. Results: 263 patients (49.8% males; age 61.2 ± 13.8 years) from two cancer units. Positive correlations (p<0.05) between SC and HRQoL. Females have a poorer HRQoL than males (ß= .416, CI 95% [.162;.671], p=0.001), as well as patients from the hospital ward compared to those in the day hospital service (ß= -.459, CI 95% [-.782 -.137], p=0.005). Greater SC referred to the service features predict better HRQoL (ß= .338, CI 95% [.154;.523], p<0.001).