Experiences of Patient-Centered Care Among Japanese and Australian Cancer Outpatients: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study.

There have been few international comparisons of patient-centered cancer care delivery. This study aimed to compare the experiences of patient-centered care (PCC) of Japanese and Australian radiation oncology patients. Participants were adults with cancer attending a radiotherapy appointment at a Japanese or Australian clinic.

Australian GPs' perceptions of barriers and enablers to best practice palliative care: a qualitative study.

Background: General Practitioners (GPs) often play an important role in caring for people at the end of life. While some international studies suggest that GPs experience a number of barriers to providing palliative care, little is known about views and experiences of GPs in Australia. This study explored Australian GPs' perceptions of barriers and enablers to the provision of palliative care and provides new insights into how to implement best practice care at the end of life.

Systematic review of barriers and enablers to the delivery of palliative care by primary care practitioners.

Background: There is increasing demand for primary care practitioners to play a key role in palliative care delivery. Given this, it is important to understand their perceptions of the barriers and enablers to optimal palliative care, and how commonly these are experienced.

Aim: To explore the type and prevalence of barriers and enablers to palliative care provision reported by primary care practitioners.

Life expectancy discussions in a multisite sample of Australian medical oncology outpatients.

Objectives: The study examined: 1) the proportion of patients who received their preferred level of information about life expectancy; and 2) sociodemographic, clinical and psychological factors associated with patients' perceptions of whether they received too little, too much, or the right amount of information about life expectancy.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Eleven large Australian medical oncology treatment centres.

Measuring the quality of patient-centered care: why patient-reported measures are critical to reliable assessment.

Purpose: The Institute of Medicine (IOM) identified patient-centeredness as crucial to quality health care. The IOM endorsed six patient-centeredness dimensions that stipulated that care must be: respectful to patients' values, preferences, and expressed needs; coordinated and integrated; provide information, communication, and education; ensure physical comfort; provide emotional support; and involve family and friends. Patient-reported measures examine the patient's perspective and are essential to the accurate assessment of patient-centered care.

Prevalence and predictors of the short-term trajectory of anxiety and depression in the first year after a cancer diagnosis: a population-based longitudinal study.

Purpose: Few studies have examined psychological adjustment for cancer survivors in late treatment and early survivorship stages. Our study investigated the prevalence and short-term trajectories of anxiety, depression, and comorbid anxiety-depression among adult cancer survivors, and identified the individual, disease, health behavior, psychological, and social predictors of chronic and late psychological morbidity.

Methods: A heterogeneous sample of adult cancer survivors was recruited from two state-based cancer registries.

Prevalence and correlates of cancer survivors' supportive care needs 6 months after diagnosis: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: An understanding of the nature and magnitude of the impact of cancer is critical to planning how best to deliver supportive care to the growing population of cancer survivors whose need for care may span many years. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of and factors associated with moderate to high level unmet supportive care needs among adult cancer survivors six months after diagnosis.

Methods: A population-based sample of adult cancer survivors diagnosed with one of the eight most incident cancers in Australia was recruited from two state-based cancer registries.

All's well that ends well? Quality of life and physical symptom clusters in long-term cancer survivors across cancer types.

Context: Little is known about the presentation of multiple concurrent symptoms (symptom clusters) in long-term cancer survivors, with few studies adequately powered to compare quality of life (QoL) and symptom presentation by cancer type.

Objectives: This research aimed to 1) assess patient-reported QoL and 2) identify clusters of cancer-related physical symptoms by cancer type among long-term breast, prostate, colorectal, and melanoma cancer survivors.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional sample of 863 adult cancer survivors five to six years post-diagnosis completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), assessing global QoL and frequency of presentation of cancer-related physical symptoms.

Flourishing or floundering? Prevalence and correlates of anxiety and depression among a population-based sample of adult cancer survivors 6months after diagnosis.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of anxiety, depression and comorbid anxiety-depression among adult cancer survivors six months following diagnosis, and identify the individual, disease, health behaviour, psychological and social factors associated with psychological morbidity.

Methods: A population-based sample of adult cancer survivors was recruited from two state-based cancer registries in Australia. Data for 1323 survivors were obtained by self-report questionnaire and linkage with registry data.

Life is precious and I'm making the best of it: coping strategies of long-term cancer survivors.

Objective: Coping strategies mediate the relationship between challenging situations and their impact on psychosocial outcomes. Many long-term cancer survivors continue to face a range of challenges in their daily lives, yet little is known about how this population copes. The study explored the prevalence and predictors of cancer-specific coping strategies among a heterogeneous sample of long-term cancer survivors.

Anxiety and depression among long-term survivors of cancer in Australia: results of a population-based survey.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and predictors of anxiety and depression among a heterogeneous sample of long-term adult cancer survivors.

Design And Participants: Cross-sectional survey of 863 adults diagnosed with a new histologically confirmed cancer (local or metastatic) between 1 April and 30 November 1997 and still alive in 2002, living in NSW, able to read and understand English adequately, physically and mentally capable of participating, and aware of their cancer diagnosis, who were randomly selected from the New South Wales Central Cancer Registry.

Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence of anxiety and depression assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; and factors (patient, disease, and treatment characteristics; coping style; social support) predicting clinical or borderline levels of anxiety and depression.