The effect of training problem-based learning on the quality-of-life symptom scales in patients suffering from breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and most deadly malignancies among the women all over the world. The diagnosis, treatment, and complications arising from this cancer bring about numerous physical, mental, and social complications as well reduced quality of life in these patients. The present study aims at investigating the effect of training problem-based learning on the quality-of-life symptom scales in patients suffering from breast cancer.

In a randomized controlled clinical trial, 50 breast cancer patients hospitalized in the oncology ward of Tohid Hospital of Sanandaj, Iran. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. Experimental group patients were trained according to problem-based learning, but no specific measure was conducted on control group patients. Right after the training course, the patients' quality of life was measured once more by using the abovementioned questionnaires, and the data collected were analyzed by using statistical tests.

The mean age of the samples was 44.22 ± 10.32. The findings of the study indicate that there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups in the quality-of-life symptom scales before the intervention and after conducting it (P < 0.05). Moreover, as for the breast cancer-specific quality-of-life symptom scales, there was no significant statistical difference between the two groups both before and after the intervention (P < 0.05).

The findings obtained in the present study indicate that training problem-based learning had a positive effect on the quality-of-life symptom scales in women suffering from breast cancer. This training method can be applied as a part of normal measures taken for the patients alongside other medical measures.