This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McLachlan, S.-A. Articles by Zalcberg, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McLachlan, S.-A. Articles by Zalcberg, J. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Randomized Trial of Coordinated Psychosocial Interventions Based on Patient Self-Assessments Versus Standard Care to Improve the Psychosocial Functioning of Patients With Cancer

From the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne; St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy; and Centre for Palliative Care, Kew, Australia.

Address reprint requests to Sue-Anne McLachlan, MB BS, Familial Cancer Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Locked Bag 1, A’Beckett St PO, Melbourne, Victoria 8006, Australia; email: mclachsa{at}svhm.org.au

PURPOSE: To determine whether making patient-reported cancer needs, quality-of-life (QOL), and psychosocial information available to the health care team, allowing coordinated specifically targeted psychosocial interventions, resulted in reduced cancer needs, improved QOL, and increased satisfaction with care received.

METHODS: Self-reported cancer needs, QOL, and psychosocial information was collected from 450 people with cancer, using standardized questionnaires via a touch-screen computer. For a randomly chosen two thirds, this information was made available to the health care team who coordinated targeted psychosocial interventions. Information from the remaining one third was not seen. Patients were assessed 2 and 6 months after randomization for changes in their cancer needs, QOL, and psychosocial functioning and satisfaction with overall care received.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two arms with respect to changes in cancer needs, QOL, or psychosocial functioning between the baseline and follow-up assessments, nor with respect to satisfaction with care. However, for the subgroup of patients who were moderately or severely depressed at baseline, there was a significant reduction in depression for the intervention arm relative to the control arm at the 6-month assessment (P = .001).

CONCLUSION: Making patient-reported cancer needs, QOL, and psychosocial data available to the health care team at a single consultation together with coordinated psychosocial interventions does not seem to reduce cancer needs nor improve QOL, psychosocial functioning, or satisfaction with the care received. However, identification of patients with moderate or severe levels of depression may be valuable in reducing subsequent levels of depression.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. E. Mills, L. J. Murray, B. T. Johnston, C. Cardwell, and M. Donnelly Does a Patient-Held Quality-of-Life Diary Benefit Patients With Inoperable Lung Cancer? J. Clin. Oncol., January 1, 2009; 27(1): 70 - 77. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. B. Jacobsen Screening for Psychological Distress in Cancer Patients: Challenges and Opportunities J. Clin. Oncol., October 10, 2007; 25(29): 4526 - 4527. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. H. Frost, A. E. Bonomi, J. C. Cappelleri, H. J. Schunemann, T. J. Moynihan, N. K. Aaronson, and Clinical Significance Consensus Meeting Group Applying Quality-of-Life Data Formally and Systematically Into Clinical Practice Mayo Clin. Proc., October 1, 2007; 82(10): 1214 - 1228. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. A. Hahn, D. Cella, O. Chassany, D. L. Fairclough, G. Y. Wong, R. D. Hays, and Clinical Significance Consensus Meeting Group Precision of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Data Compared With Other Clinical Measures Mayo Clin. Proc., October 1, 2007; 82(10): 1244 - 1254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. P. Griffin, K. A. Koch, J. E. Nelson, and M. E. Cooley Palliative Care Consultation, Quality-of-Life Measurements, and Bereavement for End-of-Life Care in Patients With Lung Cancer: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (2nd Edition) Chest, September 1, 2007; 132(3_suppl): 404S - 422S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. L. Stanton Psychosocial Concerns and Interventions for Cancer Survivors J. Clin. Oncol., November 10, 2006; 24(32): 5132 - 5137. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. W. Kissane In Reply: J. Clin. Oncol., August 1, 2005; 23(22): 5263 - 5264. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Gil, A. Abergel, S. Spektor, A. Khafif, and D. M. Fliss Patient, Caregiver, and Surgeon Perceptions of Quality of Life Following Anterior Skull Base Surgery Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, November 1, 2004; 130(11): 1276 - 1281. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. C. Gotay Assessing Cancer-Related Quality of Life Across a Spectrum of Applications J Natl Cancer Inst Monographs, October 1, 2004; 2004(33): 126 - 133. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. C. Trask Assessment of Depression in Cancer Patients J Natl Cancer Inst Monographs, July 1, 2004; 2004(32): 80 - 92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. B. Greenberg Barriers to the Treatment of Depression in Cancer Patients J Natl Cancer Inst Monographs, July 1, 2004; 2004(32): 127 - 135. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Velikova, L. Booth, A. B. Smith, P. M. Brown, P. Lynch, J. M. Brown, and P. J. Selby Measuring Quality of Life in Routine Oncology Practice Improves Communication and Patient Well-Being: A Randomized Controlled Trial J. Clin. Oncol., February 15, 2004; 22(4): 714 - 724. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Given, B. Given, M. Rahbar, S. Jeon, R. McCorkle, B. Cimprich, A. Galecki, S. Kozachik, A. Brady, M. J. Fisher-Malloy, et al. Effect of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention on Reducing Symptom Severity During Chemotherapy J. Clin. Oncol., February 1, 2004; 22(3): 507 - 516. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Gil, A. Abergel, S. Spektor, J. T. Cohen, A. Khafif, E. Shabtai, and D. M. Fliss Quality of Life Following Surgery for Anterior Skull Base Tumors Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, December 1, 2003; 129(12): 1303 - 1309. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. M. Clark, J. M. Bostwick, and T. A. Rummans Group and Individual Treatment Strategies for Distress in Cancer Patients Mayo Clin. Proc., December 1, 2003; 78(12): 1538 - 1543. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. W Kissane, M. McKenzie, D. P McKenzie, A. Forbes, I. O'Neill, and S. Bloch Psychosocial morbidity associated with patterns of family functioning in palliative care: baseline data from the Family Focused Grief Therapy controlled trial Palliative Medicine, September 1, 2003; 17(6): 527 - 537. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. B. Detmar, M. J. Muller, J. H. Schornagel, L. D. V. Wever, and N. K. Aaronson Health-Related Quality-of-Life Assessments and Patient-Physician Communication: A Randomized Controlled Trial JAMA, December 18, 2002; 288(23): 3027 - 3034. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Agrawal and E. J. Emanuel Attending to Psychologic Symptoms and Palliative Care J. Clin. Oncol., February 1, 2002; 20(3): 624 - 626. [Full Text] [PDF]