Abstract
This paper reports on the results of a survey of utilization of professional supportive care services by women with breast cancer, and on patterns of differential service utilization by sub-groups of patients. Study participants were women with invasive breast cancer diagnosed 23–36 months prior to contact about the study, and randomly selected from the Ontario Cancer Registry. From among 1,119 eligible women sent survey questionnaires, 731 returned completed questionnaires (65%). A total of 31% of respondents reported accessing one or more of the following professionals: social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, dietitian, physiotherapist. Among those who responded to a question about whether they would have liked specific services, 34% reported that there was at least one professional supportive care service they would have liked to use, but were unable to access. Factors shown to be related to greater utilization of services included: younger age, higher household income, employed or student status, private health insurance coverage, and having received chemotherapy. Overall, there was a surprisingly low utilization of professional specialized supportive care services among women with breast cancer. Policy implications include finding strategies to better inform cancer patients about existing services, and ensuring that a core set of services are available to all patients.
References
Fitch M: Providing Supportive Care for Individuals Living with Cancer. Toronto, Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation, 1994
Whelan TJ, Mohide EA, Willan AR, et al.: The supportive care needs of newly diagnosed cancer patients attending a regional cancer center. Cancer 15: 1518-1524, 1997
Grande GE, Todd CJ, Barclay SIG: Support needs in the last year of life: Patient and carer dilemmas. Palliat Med 11: 202-208, 1997
Ferrell BR, Grant MM, Funk BM, et al.: Quality of life in breast cancer survivors: Implications for developing support services. Oncol Nurs Forum 25: 887-895, 1998
Massie MJ, Holland JC: Overview of normal reactions and prevalence of psychiatric disorders. In: Holland JC, Rowland JH (eds) Handbook of Psychooncology. Oxford Press, New York, 1990, pp 273-282
Massie MJ, Holland JC, Straker N: Psychotherapeutic interventions. In: Holland JC, Rowland JH (eds): Handbook of Psychooncology. Oxford Press, New York, 1990, pp 455-469
Mastrovito R: Behavioral techniques: Progressive, relaxation and self-regulatory techniques. In: Holland JC, Rowland JH (eds): Handbook of Psychooncology. Oxford Press, New York, 1990, pp 492-501
Avants SK, Margolin A, Singer JL: Psychological interventions and research in the oncology setting: An integrative approach. Psychotherapy 30: 1-10, 1993
Goel V: Health services research in breast cancer: Background paper for a Canadian breast cancer research initiative workshop. Cancer Prev Control 2: 173-178, 1998
Addington-Hall JM, Weir MW, Zollman C, et al.: A national survey of the provision of support services for people with cancer. BMJ 304: 1649-1650, 1993
Coluzzi PH, Grant M, Doroshow JH, et al.: Survey of the provision of supportive care services at National Cancer Institute-designated centers. J Clin Oncol 13: 756-764, 1995
Final Report on the Needs of People Living with Cancer Across Canada. Toronto, Canadian Cancer Society, 1992
Report on the National Forum on Breast Cancer. Ottawa, Ontario, Health Canada, 1994
Rohan TE, Hiller JE, McMichael AJ: Dietary factors and survival from breast cancer. Nutr Cancer 20: 167-177, 1993
Ireton-Jones CS, Garritson B, Kitchens L: Nutrition intervention in cancer patients: Does the registered dietitian make a difference? Top Clin Nutr 10: 42-48, 1995
Christ G: Social work in oncology. In: Holland JC, Rowland JH (eds) Handbook of Psychooncology. Oxford Press, New York, 1990, pp 670-677
Northouse LL: Family issues in cancer care. Adv. Psychosom. Med. 18: 82-101, 1988
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gray, R.E., Goel, V., Fitch, M.I. et al. Utilization of Professional Supportive Care Services by Women with Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 64, 253–258 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026548320063
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026548320063