Optimizing Social Support in Oncology with Digital Platforms (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Increased cancer prevalence and survival rates coupled with earlier patient discharges from hospitals has created a larger need for social support. Cancer care is both short-term and long-term, requiring acute treatments, treatments for remission, and long-term screenings and treatment regimens. Healthcare systems are already overwhelmed and often struggle to provide social support systems for everyone. Caregivers are limited in number, and even when they are available, they often lack necessary information, skills, or resources to meet the needs of patients with cancer. The act of caregiving presents various challenges, and caregivers themselves often need social support as well. Despite these needs, most social support programs are targeted toward patients alone. Given the prevalence of cancer and known needs of these patients and their caregivers, the ability to identify those who need social support is crucial. Further, the scalability and overall availability of social support programs is vital for successful patient care. This paper establishes the benefits of social support for both patients and caregivers coping with cancer treatments, explores innovative ways of identifying patients who may need social support using digital tools, and reviews potential advantages of digital social support programs.

Medical Tourism Patient Mortality

Medical tourism is a process in which a consumer travels from one's place of residence and receives medical treatment, thus becoming a patient. Patients Beyond Borders (PBB) forecasts some 1.9 million Americans will travel outside the United States for medical care in 2019. This chapter explores media representations of patient mortality associated with medical tourism within the global news media occurring between 2009-2019. A qualitative content analysis of 50 patient mortality cases found that (1) a majority of media representations of medical tourism patient death are of middle-class, minority females between 25-55 years of age who seek cosmetic surgery internationally; (2) sudden death, grief, and bereavement counseling is noticeably absent from medical tourism providers (MTPs); and (3) risk information from authority figures within the media reports is often vague and abstract. A detailed list of health communication recommendations and considerations for future medical tourists and their social support systems are provided.

Exploring Social Support Systems and Experiences of Older Women in Tede Community, Oyo State, Nigeria

Rural communities in Nigeria are rapidly aging due to the massive movement of young adults to the cities, especially after marriage and/or in search of employment. This has adversely affected the social supports for older persons. The current study explored the experiences of older adults living in rural communities in Southwestern Nigeria. The study adopted an exploratory qualitative research design, in-depth interview techniques were adopted, and results were analyzed using thematic analysis. For this pilot study, conducted in Tede community in Oyo state in Nigeria, 10 older women, aged 70+ years were purposively selected for the study. The fact that all participants were women was due to the fact that older persons found in the community were mostly women. Consonant with previous research, this pilot study found that there was limited formal and informal support systems for older women in the community. The study additionally revealed that older women expressed feelings of abandonment by adult children, having insufficient funds, as well as inability to access health care. Consequently, these women resorted to alternative means to fend for themselves. For instance, despite having functional limitations, older women in the community would engage in physically demanding tasks such as going into the bushes to cut and gather firewood to sell, as well as engaging in other forms of petty trading, while others resorted to begging for alms for sustenance. This pilot study highlights the experience of poverty among older women and the need for more structural interventions for older persons in Nigeria.

The primacy of meeting the essential needs of public university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a new higher education priority

Objectives: We investigated the holistic experiences of university students during the pandemic. Participants: 38 students in a public university system in New York City (NYC) purposively selected from neighborhoods highly affected by the pandemic based on level of self-reported impact Methods: We conducted virtual in-depth interviews from May to August 2021 and analyzed data using thematic coding and constant comparison techniques informed by grounded theory. Results: Financial and social support systems, such as governmental and school resources, were critical to addressing essential needs and allowing students to persist. For those whose essential needs were met, faculty flexibility and student experiences with online learning were central to their academic success. Conclusions: Institutions of higher education should strengthen financial and social support systems to meet the essential needs of students. Academic policies to bolster online pedagogy and faculty flexibility can facilitate student retention and completion.

‘She couldn’t leave them… the perpetrator had threatened to burn them alive’: Domestic abuse helpline calls relating to companion animals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Companion animals can both protect against, and increase risk for, coercive control and abuse, yet have not been considered in existing UK COVID-19 reports of domestic abuse. This study aimed to explore the nature and frequency of animal-related calls received by UK domestic abuse helpline staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, examine any lockdown-related changes, identify potential commonalities across helpline organisations, and explore perspectives about ongoing animal-related issues in the context of domestic abuse. Semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted with 11 domestic abuse helpline staff workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. The analysis revealed four overarching themes. Theme 1) Lockdown-related changes in the frequency and nature of animal-related calls received. Theme 2) Animals as tools for abuse during lockdown, with subthemes a) Manipulating the family-animal bond, and b) Fears over animal safety. Theme 3) Animals as barriers to refuge during lockdown, with subthemes, a) Lack of animal-friendly accommodation, b) Lack of social support systems, and c) Animals as coping mechanisms. Theme 4) Helpline staffs’ awareness of and links to animal friendly accommodation and fostering services. The findings can inform decision making regarding appropriate long-term support needs for multi-species families with complex needs, both during and post-pandemic.

Involving Family and Social Support Systems in Tobacco Cessation Treatment for Patients With Cancer

Individuals from the family and social support network of patients with cancer can have a pivotal role in reinforcing patients’ efforts to become and remain tobacco-free. This support is critical along the entire continuum of cancer care. Although NCI-designated Cancer Centers across the United States are increasingly offering tobacco cessation services as a result of the NCI Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I), engaging patients’ family and other support network in tobacco treatment is not yet a routine practice. To facilitate the consideration and involvement of patients’ social support systems (including family, peers, and non–healthcare provider caregivers), we formed the C3I Family and Social Support Systems Working Group. This paper describes the current practices and challenges among C3I cancer centers centers in engaging the support systems of patients with cancer in order to reduce tobacco use and/or secondhand smoke exposure. Building on this knowledge, this Working Group proposes a research agenda to facilitate support persons’ involvement in tobacco treatment as part of oncology care. The research priorities identified include establishing (1) evidence-based strategies for engaging family and social support systems in patients’ cessation efforts, (2) interventions to provide cessation treatment options to support persons, and (3) best practices to routinely identify and engage family and social support systems in patients’ cessation efforts.

A Nepalese Bipolar case amidst risk and protective factors during COVID-19 pandemic: A Case Report

Bipolar disorder is a chronic and recurring psychiatric illness. Emphasis on enhancing key protective factors like social support systems and promoting this to minimize risk factors like non-compliance is one of the key strategies tied to enhance overall health for symptoms remission and relapse prevention even during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Addressing Determinants of Paternal Subjective Well-Being Through Fatherhood Education

Fatherhood education promotes responsible father involvement, which supports family well-being. However, research is lacking relative to the impact of these programs on paternal subjective well-being. Using Andersen’s Behavioral Model, this study examines the impact of a fatherhood education program on participants’ perceptions of social support and self-reported mental health. Upon program completion, participants reported higher levels of perceived social support, and lower levels of depression and anxiety. Bi-directional associations between social support and paternal mental health were noted. Multivariate analyses revealed the characteristics of fathers who might benefit from post-program interventions that focus on building stronger social support systems and addressing mental health needs.