9027 Background: Historically, there has been no established role for palliative care in treating ambulatory oncology patients who are not at the end of life, but still struggling with the physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of cancer. Integrating palliative care services earlier in oncology care may help alleviate the suffering of patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers. This single-arm pilot study examines caregiver satisfaction with early palliative care services in patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: Sample included patients within 8 weeks of diagnosis of stage IIIb with effusions or IV NSCLC and their family caregivers. Patients met with the palliative care team at least monthly until the time of hospice referral or death, completing assessments of quality of life (FACT-L) and mood (HADS) at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Caregivers rated their satisfaction with palliative care services using the FAMCARE. To identify predictors of caregiver satisfaction with care, patient scores from the FACT-L and HADS were entered into a linear regression model. Results: Fifty-one patients were enrolled (31 female, mean age=64.5 years), with 73% (n=37) identifying a caregiver who consented to participate. Of the 32 caregivers who completed a follow-up assessment, 84% (n=27) reported average FAMCARE scores in the “very satisfied” to “satisfied” range. Patients with worse physical (β=−.49, p=.003) but better social wellbeing (β=.55, p=.001) on the FACT-L at baseline had caregivers who were more satisfied with palliative care services at follow-up. Patient mood symptoms on the HADS were not related to caregiver satisfaction with care. Conclusions: The majority of family caregivers reported being satisfied with oncology care that included early palliative care. Patients with greater physical disability had caregivers who were more satisfied with care, which may be due to increased contact with the palliative care team. Also, patients who felt more supported by their families at baseline had caregivers who were more satisfied with care. While these data are encouraging, controlled longitudinal studies are needed to determine if these findings are actually the result of early palliative care services. [Table: see text]
FAMILY CAREGIVER SATISFACTION WITH HOME-BASED PALLIATIVE CARE SERVICES IN NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA, GERMANY
