Outpatient Psycho-Oncological Care for Family Members and Patients: Access, Psychological Distress and Supportive Care Needs

Supportive care needs of family members of cancer patients are often overlooked within psychosocial care. A screening measure was sent to 132 family members and 362 cancer patients (response rate >95%) after telephone registration at a specialized outpatient clinic for psycho-oncology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. The majority of participants was informed about the outpatient clinic for psycho-oncology through advice by third parties. More than 90% of family members and cancer patients show high levels of distress; 49% of family members and 59% of patients had moderate to high levels of depression; 58% of family members and 61% of patients had moderate to high levels of anxiety. No gender differences were observed in both groups. Most frequent supportive care needs in both groups refer to fear of recurrence, dealing with uncertainty, sadness and keeping a positive outlook. Our findings emphasize the need for specific psycho-oncological interventions.