PSY333H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Testicular Cancer, Chronic Condition, Breast Cancer
Document Summary
At any given time 58% of canadain population has some chronic condition. What is the impact of chronic disease: causes premature death. 2005: >60% of deaths globally result from chrinic disease. Prevalence rates highest in developed countries: economic and social burden to families, communities and society. Direct (health care) + indirect (disability) cost of chronic disease. 10$ billion diabetes, 18 billion cancer, 20 billion arthritis: compromise quality of life. Historically measured only by length of life and + signs of disease. No consideration of psychological or social effects. Psychological distress often experienced by chronically ill. Quality of life: degree to which a person is able to maximize their functioning. Why do we study the quality of life (qol) among the chronically ill: document effects of the illness. Basis for interventions designed to improve qol: pinpoint particular problems patients with particular disease may expect, address impact of treatments on qol, qol information can be used to compare therapies.
