Oncology professionals and patient requests for cancer support services.

Objective: To examine the kinds of psychosocial support services that cancer patients most often request across a multidisciplinary sample of currently practicing U.S. oncological health care professionals (OHCPs) representative of a typical cancer care team.

Participants: Primary data collection. A randomly selected sample of 1,180 OHCPs (44% physicians, 24% nurses, 32% social workers) who were active members of their respective oncological associations completed a brief four-page mailed survey during the spring of 2001.

Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Descriptive statistics were computed for all study variables. ANOVA procedures were used to examine demographic difference between respondents and non-respondents. Frequencies were calculated for patient inquires for cancer support services inquiries, and logistic regression was used to evaluate professional group differences on inquiries. Chi-square statistics were used to test for significant differences between professional groups.

Results: Approximately 94% of OHCPs were asked about cancer-related support services by their patients. Quantitative data indicated that information and education about cancer (72%), support groups (65%), and hospice referral (52%) were paramount among patient concerns. Qualitatively, comments about transportation, lodging during treatment, and alternative medicine reflected the general sentiment that basic needs and opportunities for options may still be unmet. Patient inquiries for services varied significantly by professional group (p<.001).

Conclusion: This information reflects the need for a multidisciplinary perspective and will be useful for planning patient-based cancer education and support initiatives, refining existing programs, and targeting materials to specific oncological professionals.