|
Cancer patients fail to use
counseling support
EUGENE, ORE. -- Mar. 7, 2001 -- Very few cancer
patients take advantage of available counseling services, despite
a large body of evidence showing such interventions can improve
their treatment outcome say researchers in Oregon.
A research team led by Dr. Elizabeth Eakin
and Lisa Strycker of the Oregon Research Institute published
results of their behavior study in the March issue of Psycho-Oncology.
"Given the quality and quantity of cancer
support services nationwide, and the positive outcomes of participation
shown in the research literature, a high priority should be placed
on identifying ways to increase patient use of existing services,"
said Eakin in a prepared statement.
They found that although 68 percent of breast,
colon and prostate cancer patients reported being aware of their
HMO's Cancer Counseling Center, only 8 percent used the center.
Ninety percent of prostate cancer patients also were aware of
a HMO prostate support group, but only 5 percent made use of
these services.
The study collected survey responses from
368 cancer patients randomly selected from the rolls of a large
Northwest HMO. The investigators also surveyed 29 health care
providers.
The main reasons patients gave for forgoing
support services were they already had adequate support (32 percent),
followed by not knowing the support services existed (25 percent)
and not receiving a recommendation from their physician (13 percent).
However, cancer specialists and nurses rated
the usefulness of the Cancer Counseling Center very highly, which
may explain why they reported referring 70 percent of their patients
to the center and estimated that 40 percent of their patients
used these services. Physician referral was also a strong predictor
for use of the Cancer Counseling Center.
Despite this enthusiasm among health care
providers, patients are not getting the message that these services
can help them. The researchers suggest that this may be, in part,
because of the wide variation in how providers refer patients
to these services. While more diligent physicians discuss psychosocial
concerns with their patients and describe how counseling can
help, other physicians may just include a brochure for the counseling
center in a large packet of treatment-related information.
"These findings suggest the need for
more systematic ways of educating patients about and providing
referrals to cancer support resources. Optimally, a brief psychosocial
screening around the time of diagnosis could be conducted as
a standard part of treatment for all patients," the investigators
say in the study's conclusion.
Dr. Eakin is currently working on a senior
research fellowship in Australia. The study was supported with
funding from the National Cancer Institute.
SOURCE: Center for the Advancement of Health
press release
|