Association of lower patient ratings of physician communication with need for symptom management in lung and colorectal cancer patients.

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 153-153
Author(s):  
Anne M. Walling ◽  
Nancy Lynn Keating ◽  
Katherine Leslie Kahn ◽  
Sydney Morss Dy ◽  
Jennifer Malin ◽  
...  

153 Background: Symptoms are prevalent among cancer patients, but little is known about how often patients’ needs for symptom management are met or what factors are associated with unmet needs. Methods: Patients with lung and colorectal cancer from the diverse nationally-representative Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance cohort completed a survey approximately 4-6 months following diagnosis (n=5,422). We estimated the prevalence of unmet needs for symptom management during the 4 weeks prior to the survey, with unmet needs defined as patients reporting that they wanted but did not receive help for at least one symptom (pain, fatigue, depression, nausea/vomiting, cough, dyspnea, diarrhea). Using a pre-specified conceptual model, we identified patient factors associated with unmet need using multivariable logistic regression with random effects (fixed slopes model with random intercepts for each Primary Data Collection Research site). We also tested whether clinical visits before the interview were associated with unmet need. Results: Overall, 15% (791/5,422) of patients had at least one unmet need for symptom management. Adjusting for patient sociodemographic and clinical factors, African American race, being uninsured or poor, having lung cancer versus colorectal cancer, early- vs. late-stage disease, and the presence of moderate to severe symptoms were associated with greater unmet need (all p<.05). Patients who rated their physicians communication score below 80 (on 1-100 scale) had adjusted rates of unmet need that were more than twice those of patients who rated their physicians with a perfect communication score (23.0% v. 10.0%, OR=3.05, p<0.001). Neither visits with specialty physicians (medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery, or primary care) nor the total number of outpatient visits in the 28 days before the interview were associated with unmet need (all p>.05). Conclusions: A significant percentage of newly diagnosed lung and colorectal cancer patients report unmet needs for symptom management. Interventions to improve symptom management should consider the importance of physician communication to the experience of disease.

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. e654-e669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M. Walling ◽  
Nancy L. Keating ◽  
Katherine L. Kahn ◽  
Sydney Dy ◽  
Jennifer W. Mack ◽  
...  

Purpose: Little is known about factors associated with unmet needs for symptom management in patients with cancer. Methods: Patients with a new diagnosis of lung and colorectal cancer from the diverse nationally representative Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance cohort completed a survey approximately 5 months after diagnosis (N = 5,422). We estimated the prevalence of unmet need for symptom management, defined as patients who report that they wanted help for at least one common symptom (pain, fatigue, depression, nausea/vomiting, cough, dyspnea, diarrhea) during the 4 weeks before the survey but did not receive it. We identified patient factors associated with unmet need by using logistic regression with random effects to account for clustering within study sites. Results: Overall, 15% (791 of 5,422) of patients had at least one unmet need for symptom management. Adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors, African American race, being uninsured or poor, having early-stage lung cancer, and the presence of moderate to severe symptoms were associated with unmet need (all P < .05). Furthermore, patients who rated their physician’s communication score < 80 (on a 0 to 100 scale) had adjusted rates of an unmet need for symptom management that were more than twice as high as patients who rated their physicians with a perfect communication score (23.1% v 10.0%; P < .001). Conclusion: A significant minority of patients with newly diagnosed lung and colorectal cancer report unmet needs for symptom management. Interventions to improve symptom management should consider the importance of physician communication to the patient’s experience of disease.


2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-378
Author(s):  
Anne Walling ◽  
Jane Weeks ◽  
Katherine Kahn ◽  
Diana Tisnado ◽  
Nancy Keating ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 5299-5306
Author(s):  
Li Zhu ◽  
Yi Xin Tong ◽  
Xiang Shang Xu ◽  
Ai Tang Xiao ◽  
Yu Jie Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended for patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of unmet supportive care needs and anxiety on the initiation of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients. Methods This is a retrospective study from a single tertiary referral hospital. Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer who met the inclusion criteria were included. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and modified 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34) were applied to assess patient’s anxiety level and unmet needs. The time intervals between initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy and operation were recorded. Factors associated with delayed initiation of chemotherapy were investigated in univariate and multivariate analysis. Results A total of 135 patients with colorectal cancer were included. In total, 16.3% (22/135) and 5.2% (7/135) reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. In multivariate analysis, low to moderate income status, postoperative complications, anxiety, and high level of unmet needs are independent risk factors for late initiation of chemotherapy. Conclusions Our findings showed that psychological problems such as anxiety and high unmet supportive needs are correlated with delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6035-6035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Sussman ◽  
Doris Howell ◽  
Daryl Bainbridge ◽  
Kevin Brazil ◽  
Susan Schiff ◽  
...  

6035 Background: Patient transitions during the early phases of cancer care from initial diagnosis through oncology consultation are often poorly coordinated resulting in unmet need, poor continuity, and resultant distress. It has been proposed that better coordination of care during this period would improve the care experience from the patient’s perspective. We designed a randomized trial to test a community based nursing lead coordination of care intervention in newly diagnosed breast and colorectal cancer patients. Methods: Cluster randomized control trial in 193 newly diagnosed breast and colorectal cancer patients enrolled through surgical practices within 7 days of cancer surgery in Toronto, Canada. Surgical practices were randomized between a standardized nursing intervention and a control group involving usual care practices. The intervention consisted of a standardized in person supportive care assessment with ongoing supportive care by telephone or in person that included linkage to community services using protocol specified guidelines according to identified needs. The primary outcomes measured at 8 weeks were validated patient reported outcomes (PROs) of 1) unmet need (SCNS) and 2) continuity of care (CCCQI). Secondary outcomes included 1) quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), 2) health resource utilization, and 3) level of uncertainty with care trajectory (MUIS) at 8 weeks. Results: 121 breast and 72 colorectal patients were randomized through 28 surgical practices. The intervention group had a median of 6 nursing contacts over the study period. There were no differences between groups on PROs of unmet need, continuity of care, quality of life, or uncertainty. Health service utilization did not differ between groups. Conclusions: A specialized oncology nursing intervention early in the care trajectory did not result in improved supportive care outcomes for patients. [Table: see text]


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15057-e15057
Author(s):  
Carl Meissner ◽  
Joerg Fahlke ◽  
Ronny Otto ◽  
Christoph Kahl ◽  
Matthias Krueger ◽  
...  

e15057 Background: The problem of under-nutrition and lack of nutrition is increasingly placed in the focus of operational discipline. Many of them are deficient in malnutrition before being hospitalized. In surgical therapy, the prevention of postoperative complications is of utmost importance. Due to a preoperative condition of malnutrition, the complication rate may increase and thus the associated increased treatment therapy costs per patient. The consequence, of course, is also a diminished postoperative treatment quality of the treating clinic. Methods: Prospective Multicentric Observational Study: "Quality Assurance Study Colorectal Cancer from 2010-2014 of the" An Institute for Quality Assurance in Operational Medicine "at the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg. The screening for lack of nutrition was carried out with the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS 2002) Kondrup J et al .. Results: 13239 primary data records from 2010 to 2014 were included. With the help of the NRS screening, a total score in the form of a scoring system is possible. The sum of 3 points or more identifies a patient with a nutrition-related risk and should be a cause for further diagnosis and therapy. The median of all colorectal cancer patients was NRS = 3. 65.4% of the patients had an NRS score of > = 3. In morbidity, the complications in colorectal cancer patients with NRS > = 3 points are significantly increased. Also in the case of general complications (such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, etc.) the rate increases with a larger NRS score. Conclusions: If the risk of malnutrition is small in patients with a colon carcinoma, the morbidity is low.


2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1015-1024
Author(s):  
Fabiola Müller ◽  
Marrit A. Tuinman ◽  
Ellen Stephenson ◽  
Ans Smink ◽  
Anita DeLongis ◽  
...  

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