Individual Support for Cancer Patients Effects, Patient Satisfaction and Utilisation

Sammanfattning: The aims of this thesis are threefold: (1) To investigate cancer patients’ satisfaction with and utilisation of an Individual Psychological Support (IPS) intervention. (2) To evaluate the effects of Individual Support (IS), comprising IPS combined with Intensified Primary Health Care and Nutritional Support, on psychological distress and quality of life during the first year after diagnosis. (3) To explore to what extent aspects of quality of life and emotional functioning one year after diagnosis can be predicted by medical, psychological and socio-demographic factors at diagnosis. The analyses are based on data from the Support-Care-Rehabilitation project, using a prospective randomised design to compare four conditions: (1) Individual Support (IS) starting at diagnosis, (2) Group Rehabilitation (GR) starting three months later, (3) a combination of IS and GR, and (4) Standard Care (SC). The study sample consisted of patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer or prostate cancer. A total of 481 patients were randomised and followed for 24 months.The IPS was an individually tailored, problem-focused intervention based on psychosocial oncology and cognitive behaviour therapy. Half of the patients receiving IPS had more than 2 sessions. Patients reporting that they had problems to address received more IPS sessions and reported more benefits of the intervention. Receiving an extensive medical treatment, young age, and not having someone besides the family to rely on in times of difficulties increased the odds of receiving tree or more sessions of IPS. The IS had limited impact on psychological distress and quality of life in intention-to-treat analyses. Additional analyses with stratification for baseline anxiety and/or depression levels suggested that for IS patients with higher levels of anxiety and/or depression, these problems continued to diminish below those of Control patients during the first year after diagnosis.Linear regression models were used to explore, one year after diagnosis, quality of life aspects indicative of rehabilitation needs. High levels of baseline anxiety and / or depressive symptoms were associated with lower levels of Emotional Functioning, and high self-rated well-being was associated with higher levels of Emotional Functioning. Extensive medical treatment and presence of comorbid conditions during the year before diagnosis predicted a low Global Quality of Life, whereas self-rated wellbeing predicted a high Global Quality of Life. Advanced disease, one or more comorbid conditions and high age were found to be associated with lower levels of Physical Functioning. A high level of activities outside the home during the year before diagnosis and high self-rated wellbeing were predictive of a better Physical Functioning. In conclusion, a large proportion of cancer patients offered IPS in conjunction with diagnosis and primary treatments seized this opportunity to discuss their situation, and perceived the experience as beneficial. Thus, offering newly diagnosed cancer patients these psychosocial support services may facilitate their situation.