Productivity Benchmarking and Burnout in Psychosocial Oncology: Creating a Sustainable Care Model.

Objective: Psychosocial oncology specialists in academic medical centers are at risk for burnout as they deliver a wide range of clinical, research, educational, and administrative services in high demand work environments. No national productivity benchmarks exist for this specialty. This study examines factors contributing to burnout among academic psychosocial oncology psychologists (PSOP), presents viable productivity standards, and a sustainable care model to mitigate burnout.

The relationship between response style and symptom reporting in cancer patients.

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes are considered the gold standard for documenting treatment-related toxicities and cancer-related symptoms in the management of oncology patients. Poor concordance between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) on patients' symptoms has been documented. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between social desirability, a response style, and symptom reporting in a colorectal cancer clinic.

Emotional distress among survivors of adolescent and young adult cancer or adult cancer.

Purpose: We examined emotional distress in cancer survivors diagnosed as adolescents or young adults (AYAs) versus cancer survivors diagnosed as middle/older adults and versus the general population without a history of cancer.

Methods: Using the 2014-2017 National Health Interview Surveys, 2500 AYA survivors (initial cancer diagnosed between aged 15-39 years) were matched with 2500 middle/older adult survivors (initial cancer diagnosed at aged ≥40 years) as well as with 1609 from the general population without a history of cancer. Multinomial logistic regression models estimated the risk of emotional distress (measured using the validated Kessler distress (K6) scale) in the study population (AYA vs.

Development of a psychosocial oncology core curriculum for multidisciplinary education and training: Initial content validation using the modified Delphi Method.

Objective: Despite its four decade history, the multidisciplinary specialty of psychosocial oncology (PSO) has no official consensus on core content. In 2014, the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Board charged the APOS Professional Education Committee with outlining curricular content needed for core competence.

Methods: Content validation was completed using a four-phase modified Delphi Method.

Addressing distress management challenges: Recommendations from the consensus panel of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the Association of Oncology Social Work.

Distress management (DM) (screening and response) is an essential component of cancer care across the treatment trajectory. Effective DM has many benefits, including improving patients' quality of life; reducing distress, anxiety, and depression; contributing to medical cost offsets; and reducing emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Unfortunately, many distressed patients do not receive needed services.

Framework for planning the delivery of psychosocial oncology services: An American psychosocial oncology society task force report.

Objective: While screening for psychosocial distress is now the standard of care in oncology, little guidance is available on how best to deliver services in response to identified needs. The American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) convened a task force with the goal of creating a framework that could aid in planning services and justifying requests for resources.

Methods: Ten experts from multiple disciplines within psychosocial oncology served on the task force, first meeting together as a larger group over 2 days to set an agenda and then subsequently working in smaller teams to execute the goals.

Advancing the science of distress screening and management in cancer care.

Given the high prevalence (30-35%) of psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity amongst cancer patients in any phase of the disease trajectory, screening for emotional problems and disorders has become mandatory in oncology. As a process, screening begins at the entry to the cancer care system and continues at clinically meaningful times, periodically during active cancer care, or when clinically indicated. The goal is to facilitate proper referral to psychosocial oncology specialists for more specific assessment and care, as well as treatment and evaluation of the response, according to the implementation of distress management guidelines.

Update on the Implementation of NCCN Guidelines for Distress Management by NCCN Member Institutions.

The first NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Distress Management were published in 1999. Since then, a number of other organizations have advocated for distress screening. Previous surveys of distress screening showed modest progress in implementation of the NCCN Guidelines for Distress Management by NCCN Member Institutions (MIs); this review examined whether further progress has been made.

Perceived risk for cancer progression and psychological status in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients: CALGB 70603 (Alliance).

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: (CALGB 10501)

Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with depression among hospitalized patients with head and neck cancer-Results from a national study.

Objective: Depression is a significant problem for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). This study explored the prevalence of and sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with depression, among patients with HNC.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 71 541 cases of HNC using a national dataset, the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, from 2008 to 2013.

Gaps in communication between cancer patients and healthcare providers: symptom distress and patients' intentions to disclose.

Purpose: Good communication between patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) is an important contributor to patient well-being. Few studies have focused on the gaps in communication between patients and HCPs about symptoms. This study examined patients' perspectives on symptom distress, intention to discuss symptoms, and actual symptom discussion in medical oncology visits.

Rates and predictors of psychotherapy utilization after psychosocial evaluation for stem cell transplant.

Objective: Although standard of care prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) includes a psychosocial evaluation, little is known about the rate and predictors of psychotherapy utilization among patients presenting for pre-HSCT evaluations. This study aimed to examine the proportion of patients undergoing pre-HSCT evaluations who subsequently utilize psychotherapy services and to explore predictive factors, including distress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Participants were a cross-sectional sample of 351 HSCT candidates at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.

Lack of Patient-Clinician Concordance in Cancer Patients: Its Relation With Patient Variables.

Context: Patients with cancer are bothered by its diagnosis, treatment, and associated uncertainty. Lack of concordance (LOC) of patients' reporting of their symptoms and quality of life (QOL) with that of their clinicians has been observed in cancer care. However, information regarding the reporting of patients' bother due to aspects of cancer experience and their clinicians' assessment is lacking.

Comparing the symptom experience of cancer patients and non-cancer patients.

Purpose: Symptom burden is an established concept in oncology encompassing the presence and severity of symptoms experienced by cancer patients. Few studies have examined differences in symptom burden between cancer patients and non-cancer patients. This study seeks to examine the differences in symptom burden between cancer patients (CP) and non-cancer patients (NCP) in order to better understand symptom burden in both populations.

Cancer-related hair loss: a selective review of the alopecia research literature.

Objective: Alopecia is a common side effect of cancer treatment, affecting approximately 65% of patients. Healthcare providers and allied staff recognize that alopecia is distressing for people with cancer; however, they are often unaware of the extent of distress or the great efforts expended by patients to cope with hair loss. This study reviews the existing literature regarding the psychosocial impact of alopecia on cancer survivors and the coping strategies they use to manage hair loss.

Psychosocial staffing at National Comprehensive Cancer Network member institutions: data from leading cancer centers.

Objective: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is comprised of 25 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers and arguably could thus set the standard for optimal psychosocial staffing for cancer centers; therefore, information was sought from NCCN Member Institutions about their current staffing for psychosocial services. These findings are put into perspective given the limited existing literature and consensus reports.

Methods: The NCCN Best Practices Committee surveyed member institutions about their staffing for psychosocial services.

Patient and provider concordance on symptoms during the oncology outpatient clinic visit.

Background: Cancer patients experience multiple symptoms, with specific symptoms varying by cancer type. Problems in communication between patients and health care providers (HCPs) can interfere with effective symptom assessment and management.

Objective: To address gaps in previous research by prospectively examining concordance between HCPs and patients on identifying patients' symptoms by using an identical tool for patients and HCPs at the time of the oncology clinic visit.

Resilience in adults with cancer: development of a conceptual model.

Objective: Resilience is a construct addressed in the psycho-oncology literature and is especially relevant to cancer survivorship. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for resilience that is specific to adults diagnosed with cancer.

Methods: To establish the proposed model, a brief review of the various definitions of resilience and of the resilience literature in oncology is provided.