Analyzing the needs of chronic disease patients. A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE To analyze the needs of patients suffering from chronic diseases. METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and December 2021 utilizing a questionnaire and applying convenience sampling. The sample of the survey consisted of 840 adult patients with chronic diseases. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was equal to 0.956. Statistical analysis was carried out with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM SPSS for Windows), version 26.0. RESULTS The descriptive analysis of the data showed that 19.0% of the patients had multiple sclerosis, 19.0% had chronic renal failure, and 19% had cancer. The majority of the patients (82.1%) had been dealing with their health problem for more than 24 months, and the primary source they used to turn for information were health professionals (4.07 +/- 1.4). Regarding the patients' primary psychological needs, the main statements were that they felt tired (4.05 +/- 1.4) and they had to share their feelings with other family members (4.01 +/- 1.4). CONCLUSIONS The statistical analysis showed that chronic disease patients experience a wide range of physical, psychological, emotional, and cognitive issues. Unmet requirements of patients and caregivers should be taken into consideration as this could be advantageous for both parties.