How successful are oncologists in identifying patient distress, perceived social support, and need for psychosocial counselling?

2001

Oncologists' Ability to Identify Patient Distress

Sample size: 298 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Söllner W, DeVries A, Steixner E, Lukas P, Sprinzl G, Rumpold G, Maislinger S

Primary Institution: Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria

How successful are oncologists in identifying patient distress, perceived social support, and need for psychosocial counselling?

Oncologists struggle to accurately identify severely distressed cancer patients and their need for psychosocial support.

20–40% of cancer patients show emotional distress.
Oncologists recognized severe distress in only 11 of 30 severely distressed patients.
Concordance of oncologists' estimations with screening instruments was weak.

This study found that doctors often miss signs of distress in cancer patients, which means some patients might not get the help they need.

The study assessed distress, perceived social support, and desire for counselling in cancer patients while oncologists estimated these factors.

Oncologists' recommendations were influenced by disease progression and denial behavior rather than actual patient distress.

The concordance between oncologists' estimations and screening results was weak.

Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, with noted lower recognition in head and neck cancer, lung cancer, and lower class patients.

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