Cancer care today often provides state-of-the-science biomedical treatment, but fails to address the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems associated with the illness. These problems ─ including patients’ lack of information or skills needed to manage the illness; anxiety, depression or other emotional problems; lack of transportation or other resources; and disruptions in work, school, and family life ─ cause additional suffering, weaken adherence to prescribed treatments, and threaten patients’ return to health. Today, it is not possible to deliver good-quality cancer care without addressing patients’ psychosocial health needs. All patients with cancer and their families should expect and receive cancer care that ensures the provision of appropriate psychosocial health services. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the delivery of psychosocial services to cancer patients and their families and identify ways to improve it.
Many cancer patients recieve intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments . The consequences of the nausea, fatigue, pain and hair loss after the treatment make it difficult for the patient to continue work and continue to fulfil their family and social responsibilities. Often the patient has little time left to live.
Psychosocial services are an essential component of cancer treatment. Providers offering care to cancer patients and their families are failing to identify these psychosocial needs and helping them to find and use these resources even when such services exist. The panel suggests this could be implemented simply by screening patients who may need more emotional support with a short questionairre ( e.g. which could be completed while waiting to see the doctor ), the panel stressed the importance of periodically re-screeing to identify if their need have changed.
Source: Institute of Medicine
Report Brief for Patients
Report Brief for Providers
