Aims
The study aimed to identify the prevalence and strength of supportive care needs of NSW adults with a past or current cancer diagnosis and the extent to which these needs are being met.
Methods
Participants completed an online survey that included modified versions of the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form (Boyes et al., 2009) and its additional Access to Services module. For each item, participants indicated the strength of their need over the past month (weak; medium; strong) and the extent to which their need was met (not at all met; partly met; completely met). Participants also responded to questions about their use of and experiences with supportive care services, among other measures. The planned sample size was n=800 and the final sample was n=447 (179 past diagnosis; 268 current diagnosis).
Results
Participants reported a mean of 18.17 unmet supportive care needs (95% CI [16.77, 19.57]). The most commonly reported needs were in the physical and psychological domains, including uncertainty about the future (80% of participants) and tiredness (77%). Despite optimal care pathway referral recommendations, only 34% of participants were referred to the relevant Guide to Best Cancer Care and only 30% of participants were referred to Cancer Council support services by their healthcare providers at the time of diagnosis. Content analysis of free-text fields also highlighted lack of awareness about supportive care services and resources.
Conclusions
Psychological and physical supportive care needs are highly prevalent and commonly unmet among people affected by cancer, despite the existence of services aiming to address these needs. Understanding and addressing barriers to service access, including barriers to healthcare professional referral, is essential to improve the quality of life of people affected by cancer.