Efficacy of the structured life review and the short-term life review on the spiritual well-beingof terminally ill cancer patients

GOALS: The aims of this study were to evaluate the treatment efficacy of the structured life review interviews and the Short-Term Life Review on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients, in order to improve patients’ quality of life. SUBJECTS and METHODS: Participants were patients in palliative care units in Japan. In the study 1, the structured life review interviews were conducted with 12 patients. They completed the QOL scale of the SELT-M (Skalen zur Erfassung von Lebens qualitat bei Tumorkranken–Modified Version) questionnaire before and after the interviews. In the study 2, the Short-Term Life Review was conducted with 30 patients. They reviewed their lives in the first session and they confirmed the contents in the album based on the life review in the second session. Duration of the treatment was one week. Measurement instruments included Functional Assessment Chronic Illness TherapySpiritual (FACIT-Sp). RESULTS: After the structured life review, the mean overall QOL score and Spirituality subscale score of the SELT-M significantly increased, from 2.57 ± 0.61 to 3.58 ± 1.0 (p=0.013) and 2.57 ± 0.61 to 3.14 ± 2.25 (P=0.023), respectively. After the Short-Term Life Review, the mean FACIT-Sp scores significantly increased from 16 ± 8.2 to 24 ± 7.1. CONCLUSION: Both the structured life review and the Short-Term Life Review may be effective in improving the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients, being higher feasibility for the Short-Term Life Review. We need to use these therapies understanding characteristics of each therapy.