This study aims to (i) develop a screening tool for determining distress and supportive care needs of adolescent and young adult cancer patients (AYAs) based on the NCCN's Distress Thermometer and Problem List (DTPL), (ii) evaluate its feasibility, discriminant validity, and test–retest reliability in clinical settings, and (iii) report prevalence of distress and unmet needs.

In the development phase, after translation of the Japanese version of the DTPL (DTPL-J) from English into Japanese and back translation, cognitive debriefing was performed. Items in the problem list were modified to better reflect AYAs’ concerns after interviews. The modified items were reviewed and accepted unanimously by healthcare professionals. In the feasibility phase, the DTPL-J for AYAs was used in a clinical setting for 3 months. Descriptive statistics of participants’ demographics, selected items, and DT scores were calculated to report prevalence of distress and unmet needs. Response and referral rates to experts were assessed to evaluate feasibility. Some items were compared with patient demographics to assess discriminant validity. Among the patients who responded at least twice, correlations between two consecutive screenings were assessed to evaluate test–retest reliability.

The DTPL-J consisted of 49 items in five categories. Of 251 patients, 232 (92.4%) were provided the DTPL-J and 230 (91.6%) responded. Based on the DT cutoff of ≥4, 69 of 230 patients (30%) had high distress. Anxiety (n = 85, 36.6%) was the most commonly selected item. Primary nurses referred 45 (21.7%) patients to an attending physician or another expert. Referral rates after DTPL-J use were higher than rates before use, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.06). The items compared were consistent with their social background. A positive correlation was observed between two responses for some items.

The feasibility, discriminant validity, and test–retest reliability of the tool were suggested.

The aim is to understand the experiences and views of oncology nurses about the unmet care needs of older cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Nurses play the key role in evaluating and determining the needs of this special group.

A phenomenological descriptive qualitative study with convenience sampling was used. Participants were referred by the Turkish Oncology Nursing Society. The study participants were 12 nurses aged 34–53 years, with oncology experience between 5 and 27 years. The data were collected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim with concurrent analyses and data collection. Thematic content analysis was used to determine common domains.

The study data were categorized into 3 contexts, 12 themes, and 37 subthemes. The first context, “unmet needs”, includes physical care, psychological care, and social care themes. The second context, “barriers to meeting those needs”, comprises the theme of patient characteristics, attitude of family, attitude of the nurses/healthcare team, health system, and culture. The last context is “suggestions for meeting needs”. Nurses play an important role in identifying and meeting unmet psychosocial needs.

The study indicated that older cancer patients had problems in identifying, expressing, and making demands for their needs and that their culture contributed to this situation. Nurses serving in the outpatient chemotherapy units should conduct a holistic assessment of older cancer patients, be aware that these patients may not be able to express their needs, be more sensitive toward them, and ensure that the voice of the older patients is heard.

To document the current clinical practice in 2017 for assessment of supportive care needs and provision of supportive care to women with gynecological cancer and their caregivers in Australia, and to identify the main enablers and barriers to care provision.

A total of 64 health professionals who care for Australian women with gynecological cancer responded to an electronic survey which explored their use of needs assessment, service-level processes and protocols for support service provision, and identified enablers and barriers to provision of care to both patients and caregivers. Eight respondents underwent an additional in-depth interview to elaborate on enablers, barriers, and gaps in the provision of supportive care.

Mostly, needs assessment for women and caregivers was part of current practice but done without validated tools or a checklist. Only 30% of respondents reported having documented referral pathways. Most respondents simply recorded a plan for meeting needs within the patients’ medical record (63% for patients; 46% for caregivers) rather than using a formalized care plan (15% for patients; 6% for caregivers). The interviewees’ comments supported survey results that having sufficient time to discuss issues was both the most important enabling factor and the greatest barrier to successful supportive care provision. The interviewees further discussed variations in needs based on age, cultural background, and phases within the cancer care continuum, and that best practice supportive care should involve a multidisciplinary team and customizable protocols.

There is much room for improvement in the assessment of needs and provision of supportive care to women with gynecological cancer and their caregivers. Approaches to optimize use of consultation time (e.g., needs assessment tools and referral protocols) are necessary. Flexibility in the form and mode of delivery of support may be required to meet diverse personal preferences and incorporate caregivers.

This review of the research literature explored the supportive care needs of cancer patients of varying ages and genders at varying stages of cancer treatment.

We conducted a search of online databases of peer-reviewed studies published in the English language between 2009 and 2014.

This paper reviews research studies that explored the supportive care needs of cancer patients through focus groups, surveys, and interviews. The samples addressed varied in age, ethnicity, and gender.

One major need identified was the requirement of informational support. Other essential needs included emotional, spiritual, and financial support. Supportive care can be administered in various ways—for example, by religious communities or caregivers as well as providers. However, healthcare providers must recognize the supportive care needs of their patients and incorporate effective resources and interventions into treatment plans.

No study systematically has investigated the supportive care needs of general head and neck cancer patients using validated measures. These needs include physical and daily living needs, health system and information needs, patient care and support needs, psychological needs, and sexuality needs. Identifying the unmet needs of head and neck cancer patients is a necessary first step to improving the care we provide to patients seen in our head and neck oncology clinics. It is recommended as the first step in intervention development in the Pan-Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (see Howell, 2009). This study aimed to identify: (1) met and unmet supportive care needs of head and neck cancer patients, and (2) variability in needs according to demographics, disease variables, level of distress, and quality-of-life domains.

Participants were recruited from the otolaryngology–head and neck surgery clinics of two university teaching hospitals. Self-administered questionnaires included sociodemographic and medical questions, as well as validated measures such as the Supportive Care Needs Survey–Short Form (SCNS-SF34), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT-G) and Head and Neck Module (FACT-H&N) (quality of life measures).

One hundred and twenty-seven patients participated in the survey. 68% of them experienced unmet needs, and 25% revealed a clinically significant distress level on the HADS. The highest unmet needs were psychological (7 of top 10 needs). A multiple linear regression indicated a higher level of overall unmet needs when patients were divorced, had a high level of anxiety (HADS subscale), were in poor physical condition, or had a diminished emotional quality of life (FACT-G subscales).

The results of this study highlight the overwhelming presence of unmet psychological needs in head and neck cancer patients and underline the importance of implementing interventions to address these areas perceived by patients as important. In line with hospital resource allocation and cost-effectiveness, one may also contemplate screening patients for high levels of anxiety, as well as target patients who are divorced and present low levels of physical well-being, as these patients may have more overall needs to be met.