One in Three Cancer Patients Don’t Get Psychological Support

Highlights:

One in three cancer patients don’t receive psychological support
It occurs due to multiple factors, but mostly an inefficient health system
Improvements in healthcare efficiency will ensure better access to supportive psychological care

Psychological support is unavailable to one in three cancer patients, who need it most, reveals a new global report published by 'All.Can International', which is an international multi-stakeholder initiative dedicated to addressing problems associated with the inefficiency in cancer care.

The report, entitled Patient Insights on Cancer Care: Opportunities for Improving Efficiency, is based on data obtained from a patient survey conducted by All.Can International. This is the first international survey to assess patient perspectives on efficiencies in cancer care.

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‘Psychological support is unavailable to one in three cancer patients, mostly due to an inefficient health system. Improvement of healthcare efficiency will ensure better care for all cancer patients.’
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Dr. Matti Aapro, who is a Member of the Board of Directors at the Genolier Cancer Center, Genolier, Switzerland and Member of the All.Can International Steering Committee said: "Psychological support is now recognized as an essential component of quality multidisciplinary cancer care and should be available to all cancer patients. Unfortunately, this often does not happen in practice - this is an important gap that needs to be filled."

Facts about Cancer & Cancer Patient Care

17 million new cancer cases are diagnosed annually worldwide
9.6 million people die annually from cancer worldwide
Faster cancer diagnosis improves patient survival and reduces treatment costs
Shared decision-making improves patient outcomes
Cancer patients with depression have a 39 percent higher risk of death and higher healthcare expenditure
As per WHO, 20 percent of health expenditure is wasted on inefficient treatment and care
As per the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS), significant gaps exist in access to psycho-oncology services in Europe
As per IPOS, 40-60 percent of cancer patients and their families experience psychological stress in Europe, but only a minority receive psychological support
Economic burden from lost productivity due to cancer is €52 billion annually in the European Union

Survey Design

The questionnaire was developed by All.Can International and Quality Health, a survey provider, based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK
The questionnaire was validated by experts and tested on patients prior to the survey
This was primarily an online survey
The survey was conducted between January to November 2018
The survey was conducted in the following ten countries: UK, USA, Canada, France, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Australia
The participants included both current and past cancer patients and their carers
The survey included participants of all ages with all types of cancer
The total number of participants was around 4,000

Survey Findings

69 percent of respondents said they required psychological support, during or after cancer treatment
34 percent of respondents who required help said that it was not available
41 percent of respondents said they were not provided any information about support groups by their cancer care team
The respondents said that even when psychological support was available, it was not always appropriate or helpful

"Mental distress is common among cancer patients and can result in difficulty processing information, regretting decisions about treatment choices, and fear of their cancer coming back," said Alex Filicevas, Head of EU Affairs at the European Cancer Patient Coalition based in Brussels, Belgium. "However, this new research highlights that the psychological and emotional aspects of cancer care are sadly often forgotten in cancer care."

Key Recommendations

The following four major recommendations were made based on the findings of the patient survey:

Ensure prompt, accurate and efficiently delivered diagnosis

26 percent received an initial diagnosis that was inefficiently delivered
32 percent were initially misdiagnosed

Improve support, shared decision-making and information-sharing

47 percent were not involved in decision-making regarding treatment
39 percent were never, or sometimes provided psychological support

Make multidisciplinary integrated care accessible to all cancer patients

69 percent needed psychological support
34 percent didn't have access to psychological support
24 percent didn't have access to allied health professionals

Address financial issues associated with cancer

26 percent reported loss of income due to absence from work
36 percent reported travel costs for availing treatment as a financial burden

Concluding Remarks

"It is so important that, as physicians, we listen to what patients are telling us in this survey," said All.Can International Member, Professor Christobel Saunders, AO, FRCS, FRACS, who is a breast cancer surgeon and Professor of Surgery and Head of Division in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. "Each of the areas identified represents an opportunity to improve cancer care for patients and provide truly patient-driven care."

The authors are hopeful that the findings of the survey will encourage policymakers and the cancer community as a whole to take action so that there is a marked improvement in patient outcomes and experiences of cancer care, as well as a reduction in the financial burden of cancer on patients, their families, the health system, and the society.

Funding Source

The survey was funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Johnson & Johnson, and Baxter.

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Reference :

Patient Insights on Cancer Care: Opportunities for Improving Efficiency - (https://www.all-can.org/what-we-do/research/patient-survey/)

Source: Medindia

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