On the enhancement of efficiency in care for cancer patients in outpatient clinics: an instrument to accelerate psychosocial screening and referral.

Many cancer patients experience psychosocial problems that go unnoticed by caregivers. To improve this situation, an instrument has been developed and tested to identify such problems. This instrument, the integral checklist, was put to the test in two outpatient departments of different hospitals with an intervention and a control group (105 and 124 patients, respectively).