scholarly journals Unmet Supportive Care Needs of General Cancer

Author(s):  
Ezaddin Kamal Mahmod ◽  
Saadia Ahmed Khuder

Purpose Aside from their oncology condition, cancer patients often experience many ancillary problems, including negative physical symptoms, social isolation, spiritual suffering, and often psychological distress. Supportive care services can be defined as services designed to help patients, their families, and caregivers with their experiences during the diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and palliative stages of the cancer journey. In an extensive review of the literature, we identified no previous studies that have investigated the SCNs of cancer patients in Iraq or any other Middle Eastern countries. Therefore, this study aims to determine the SCNs of cancer patients in Iraq. Methods The present cross-sectional study and data was conducted in Rezgary teaching and Nankaly Oncology Hospital in the Kurdistan Federal Region of Iraq. A total of 300 eligible cancer patients were invited to participate in the study from February to August, 2018. Eligibility criteria included: 18 years or above; having a definite diagnosis of any type of cancer; physically or mentally able to participate in the study; and being aware of exact diagnosis for at least three months. Results In 15 items of the SCNs, more than 60% of the participants reported that their needs were unmet. Most frequently, unmet needs were related to health system and information, physical and daily living, psychological, and patient care and support domains, and most met needs were related to physical and daily activity domains. Conclusions Kurdish cancer patients had many unmet needs and there is a need for establishing additional supportive care services and educational programs to increase quality of life in Kurdistan Region- Iraq.

2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522110391
Author(s):  
Sujana H Chowdhury ◽  
Bilkis Banu ◽  
Nasrin Akter ◽  
Sarder M Hossain

Background Breast cancer survivor goes through a period of needs in their post-treatment daily life. Relatively few studies have been conducted to understand the unmet needs among breast cancer survivors in Bangladesh. Recognize and measure patterns and predictors of unmet needs of breast cancer patients was the aim of the study. Objective To identify and measure patterns and predictors of unmet needs of breast cancer patients in Bangladesh. Method A cross-sectional study among 138 breast cancer patients; conveniently selected from two public and two private cancer institutes. Face-to-face interview for data collection and medical record review for checklist was done. Unmet needs have been determined by the supportive care needs survey short form 34 scale. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the predictors of unmet needs. Results The study indicated the top 10 moderate-to-high needs; among which the top five needs were from the information need domain. Surprisingly, private cancer treatment centers were identified as a significant predictor for unmet needs. Patients from private cancer institutes reported more explanation needs as well as needs with their physical and daily living and sexuality. Furthermore, the type of treatment like patient receiving combine treatment therapy reported more need for help compared to the patient receiving chemotherapy alone. Moreover, housewives reported the low need for patient care and support systems as a result of their reluctant behavior towards their health. Conclusion Individual’s unmet need assessment should be a part of every treatment protocol of breast cancer for a better treatment outcome.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107815522097103
Author(s):  
Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie ◽  
Asnakew Achaw Ayele ◽  
Tadesse Melaku Abegaz

Background Assessment of supportive care needs is an important requirement to plan supportive care intervention. This study aimed to assess the unmet supportive care needs of cancer patients treated at the University of Gondar Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1, 2017 to August 30, 2017. Adult (18 years and greater) cancer patients and those who were receiving therapy were included. The 34-Item short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey(SCNS-SF34) tool was used to assess unmet needs. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version-21. Results A total of 150 interview guides were included in the analysis (97.4% of response rate). In the majority of 65(43.3%) the participants, the disease was metastasized even though they have undergone surgery 78 (52%). The overall mean score level of unmet need for cancer care was 3.49. The highest unmet need mean score was reported from the health system and information need domain. A significant unmet need difference concerning different need domain was found in sex, age, residence, occupation status, and monthly income. Sex and residence were found to be independent predicting factors for unmet supportive care needs. Conclusion The overall level of unmet need was high. A significant unmet need difference was found in sex, age, residence, occupation status, and monthly income. Sex and residence were found to be independent predicting factors. Hence, professionals working in the oncology unit should be aware of unmet needs and expect changes over time. Certain programs and services to address the identified unmet needs should be urgently provided.


2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Bonacchi ◽  
Stefania Di Miceli ◽  
Donatella Lippi ◽  
Maria Grazia Muraca ◽  
Guido Miccinesi

Purpose: Assessing patients’ unmet supportive care needs is essential in order to prioritize areas of cancer care that require improvement. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to compare the unmet needs of cancer patients in different stages of the disease and care process (diagnosis, treatments following diagnosis, follow-up and/or rehabilitation, relapse/recurrence, progression of the disease, and palliative care). Methods: The research focused on patients from 7 oncology units of the same geographic region (Tuscany, a region of central Italy) in the same period of time regardless of primary tumor site. A total of 752 patients filled in the Needs Evaluation Questionnaire and the Psychological Distress Inventory. Results: We observed high rates of cancer patients who expressed unmet needs, especially in the areas of information and relational and material needs. The multiple regression models showed a direct correlation between psychological distress and extent of unmet needs. Individual unmet needs had significantly different entities at diverse phases. Conclusions: The present study confirmed the dynamic nature of needs of cancer patients, highlighting some critical aspects in different stages of the care process on which to concentrate attention and resources and suggesting the usefulness of periodic and repeated assessments of principal needs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheah Whye Lian ◽  
Nurul Bahariah Dollah ◽  
Chang Ching Thon

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of unmet supportive care needs among bone sarcoma patients in Kuching, Sarawak and explored the relationship between these needs with various associated factors.  Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among all bone sarcoma patients recruited from Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching, Sarawak. Data collection was done using an adopted questionnaire via interview assisted survey. Unmet needs were assessed using the 59-item Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF59). Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.    Results: A total of 75 respondents participated in the study. The patients were mainly above 36 years (56%), Sarawak natives (33.3%) and married (54.7%). Majority of patients were not undergoing any active treatment (52%). Nine out of 10 items with highest ‘moderate’ to ‘high’ level unmet needs were from the domain of Health system and information.  Needs from Physical and daily living, and sexuality domains were found to have statistically significant associations with ethnicity, age and marital status.  Conclusion: Patients who were diagnosed with bone sarcoma had substantive unmet supportive care needs in relation with their illness trajectory. It is important that such needs to be acknowledged in order to provide quality healthcare services to them.   Key words : bone sarcoma, unmet needs, Malaysia, SCNS-SF59,supportive care needs


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1115-1121
Author(s):  
Elizabeth F Franklin ◽  
Helen M Nichols ◽  
Linda House ◽  
Joanne Buzaglo ◽  
Kim Thiboldeaux

Sharing data is critical to advancing science, improving health, and creating advances in the delivery of health care services. The value of sharing data for cancer research purposes is well established, and there are multiple initiatives under way that address this need. However, there has been less focus on cancer patient perspectives regarding the sharing of their health information for research purposes. This study examined cancer patient perspectives on the sharing of de-identified health data for research purposes including both data from medical records and mobile applications. This cross-sectional study used survey methodology to collect data from cancer patients/survivors (N = 677). Overall, we found that participants were largely willing (71%) to share de-identified medical data and were most motivated (88%) by a desire to help other cancer patients. Patients were less likely to be comfortable sharing mobile application data (34%). It is vital that we understand patient perspectives on data sharing and work with them as partners, valuing their unique contributions, and attending to their preferences.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Busolo ◽  
Roberta L. Woodgate

ABSTRACTObjective:Cancer incidence and mortality are increasing in Africa, which is leading to greater demands for palliative care. There has been little progress in terms of research, pain management, and policies related to palliative care. Palliative care in Africa is scarce and scattered, with most African nations lacking the basic services. To address these needs, a guiding framework that identifies care needs and directs palliative care services could be utilized. Therefore, using the supportive care framework developed by Fitch (Fitch, 2009), we here review the literature on palliative care for patients diagnosed with cancer in Africa and make recommendations for improvement.Method:The PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Medline databases were searched. Some 25 English articles on research from African countries published between 2004 and 2014 were selected and reviewed. The reviewed literature was analyzed and presented using the domains of the supportive care framework.Results:Palliative care patients with cancer in Africa, their families, and caregivers experience increasing psychological, physical, social, spiritual, emotional, informational, and practical needs. Care needs are often inadequately addressed because of a lack of awareness as well as deficient and scattered palliative care services and resources. In addition, there is sparse research, education, and policies that address the dire situation in palliative care.Significance of Results:Our review findings add to the existing body of knowledge demonstrating that palliative care patients with cancer in Africa experience disturbing care needs in all domains of the supportive care framework. To better assess and address these needs, holistic palliative care that is multidomain and multi-professional could be utilized. This approach needs to be individualized and to offer better access to services and information. In addition, research, education, and policies around palliative care for cancer patients in Africa could be more comprehensive if they were based on the domains of the supportive care framework.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Haryani Haryani ◽  
Yati Afiyanti ◽  
Besral Besral ◽  
Dewi Gayatri ◽  
Kemala Wahidi ◽  
...  

Background: The number of gynecological cancer survivors in Indonesia is growing, yet little is recognized about their supportive care needs due to a lack of validated assessment to measure them. This study aimed to culturally adapt the Cancer survivors? unmet needs into Indonesian language and to test its validity and reliability for Indonesian gynecological cancer patients. Methods: We performed the translation and adaptation of the Cancer survivors? unmet needs based on Beaton?s cross-cultural adaptation process of self-report measure. We then evaluated the psychometric properties of Cancer survivors? unmet needs -Indonesian with 298 participants from three hospitals across Indonesia. Results: Five factors were extracted from Exploratory Factor Analysis with factor loading >0.4. Cancer survivors? unmet needs - Indonesian had negative correlations with The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30, indicating that the higher score of unmet needs resulted in the lower score of quality of life. The Cronbach?s ? coefficient for the Cancer survivors? unmet needs - Indonesian ranged from 0.75-0.95. Conclusions: The Cancer survivors? unmet needs - Indonesian version offers a valid and reliable scale for assessing supportive care needs among Indonesian gynecological cancer patients. The Cancer survivors? unmet needs-Indonesian could help clinicians to assess supportive care needs among Indonesian gynecological cancer patients. The low-resource countries such as Indonesia could use the evidence from the Cancer survivors? unmet needs assessment to develop the supportive care service in the clinical settings.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Yan ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Jingyi Chen ◽  
Chunfeng Wang ◽  
Yingchun Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Patients with acute leukaemia (AL) usually require prolonged periods of hospitalisation. The treatment and clinical symptoms may lead to patients’ supportive care needs (SCNs) not being met and impairs their quality of life (QoL). Studies on QoL and SCNs among AL patients are limited. This study aimed to identify the unmet SCNs and its relation to QoL of adult AL patients in China.Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study recruited 346 participants to complete a self-developed questionnaire, detailing demographic information and disease-related variables. A 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34) was used to identify unmet SCNs, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Leukaemia (FACT-Leu) questionnaire measured patients’ QoL.Results: Unmet SCN rates for the 34 items ranged from17.6% to 81.7%. Patients’ needs were high for health systems and information, but low in the sexual domain. The results reveal nine factors associated with the unmet SCNs of adult AL patients, including marital status, original residence, age, education, occupation, other diseases, chemotherapy course, disease course, and treatment stage (p <0.05). The total score of the FACT-Leu negatively correlated with the SCNS-SF34 in the physical/daily living (r = - 0.527, p <0.01), psychological (r = - 0.688, p <0.01), sexual (r = - 0.170, p <0.01), patient care and support (r = - 0.352, p <0.01), and health systems and information (r = - 0.220, p <0.01) domains.Conclusions: Adult AL patients exhibit a high demand for unmet SCNs, especially in the domain of health systems and information. There was a significant association between patients’ unmet SCNs and QoL. Future research should develop tailored interventions to address the unmet SCNs of adult AL patients, to further improve their QoL.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masako Okamura ◽  
Maiko Fujimori ◽  
Ayako Sato ◽  
Yosuke Uchitomi

Abstract Background Young adult cancer patients often face unique challenges and have potential unmet needs. This study aimed (1) to describe unmet supportive care needs among young adults with cancer in Japan, and (2) to identify its associated factors. Methods In a cross-sectional web-based survey, 206 young adults with cancer were assessed for supportive care needs. Multiple regression analysis examined whether demographics, clinical variables and social support were associated with unmet supportive care needs. Results A total of 206 patients (180 female) with a mean age of 33.7 years (SD = 4.3, range: 22–39) participated. One hundred and fifty-eight participants (76.7%) reported at least one unmet supportive care needs. The top 20 unmet needs included 9 of the 10 psychological needs, 3 of the 5 physical and daily living needs, 8 of the 11 health system and information needs and 1 of the 5 sexuality needs. Multiple regression analysis revealed that perceived poorer PS, experience of change in work/school after a cancer diagnosis and poor social support were significantly associated with higher supportive care needs. The total score of supportive care needs was significantly associated with both psychological distress and QOL. Conclusions More than 70% of young adult cancer patients reported unmet supportive care needs and most of those were psychological needs. The findings suggest potential opportunities for intervention in addressing psychological needs rather than physical and information needs.


Author(s):  
Ya-Ting Tseng ◽  
Chia-Hsun Hsieh ◽  
Chien-Wei Hung ◽  
Chia-Chia Chen ◽  
Shu-Hui Lee ◽  
...  

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer treatment can cause physical and psychological distress and may result in unmet needs. The purposes of this study were to (1) examine the levels of gastrointestinal (GI) symptom distress, social support, and supportive care needs; (2) screen the priorities of unmet supportive care needs; and (3) identify the factors associated with supportive care needs among UGI cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This cross-sectional study examined UGI cancer patients who received treatment from the outpatient chemotherapy department of a single cancer center in northern Taiwan. Questionnaires were used to collect data regarding GI symptom distress, social support, unmet needs, and supportive care needs. The top three unmet needs were “fears about the cancer spreading”, “uncertainty about the future”, and “being informed about things you can do to help yourself to get well”. Descriptive statistics examined the levels of GI symptom distress, social support, supportive care needs, and priorities of unmet supportive care needs. Stepwise regression was conducted to determine significant factors related to supportive care needs. Greater supportive care needs were found to be associated with higher levels of disease-related worries, increased treatment-related symptoms, and a lower level of physical performance. These factors explained 48.0% of the variance in supportive care needs. Disease-related worries and treatment-related symptoms strongly influence overall supportive care needs and each domain of supportive care needs. Symptom management and psychological support for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy may help patients meet needs.


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