Authors:	Fischbeck, Sabine Imruck, Barbara H. Blettner, Maria Weyer, Veronika Binder, Harald Zeißig, Sylke Emrich, Katharina Friedrich-Mai, Peter Beutel, Manfred E.
Title:	Psychosocial care needs of melanoma survivors : are they being met?
Online publication date:	4-Oct-2022
Year of first publication:	2015
Language:	english
Abstract:	Patients who have survived malignant melanoma for more than five years may lack the opportunity to talk about their burden. As a consequence their psychosocial care needs remain undetected and available supportive interventions may not be utilised. Therefore, the psychosocial burden of this patient group needs to be assessed using specific screening instruments. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychosocial burden of long-term melanoma survivors, their psychosocial care needs and the determinants of these needs. We wanted to find out if the use of professional support corresponds to the care needs defined by experts. Using the cancer registry of Rhineland-Palatinate, melanoma patients diagnosed at least 5 years before the survey were contacted by physicians. N = 689 former patients completed the Hornheide Questionnaire (short form HQ-S) to identify psychosocial support need (scale cut off ≥ 16 or item-based cut-off score) and the potential psychosocial determinants of these needs. Additionally, they were asked about their utilisation of the professional support system. More than one third (36%) of them was in need for professional psychosocial support. The highest burden scores concerned worry about tumour progression. Younger age (< 50), higher general fatigue, higher symptom burden, lower general health, negative social interactions and unfulfilled information needs were significant predictors of the need for psychosocial intervention. Related to the percentage of survivors identified as ‘in need’, the professional support system was underused. Further studies should investigate whether using the HQ-S to routinely identify burdened melanoma patients could lead to better fulfilment of their intervention needs, ultimately enhancing health-related quality of life.
DDC:	610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 04 Medizin
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-7821
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
License:	CC BY
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal:	PLoS one 10 8
Pages or article number:	e0132754
Publisher:	PLoS
Publisher place:	Lawrence, Kan.
Issue date:	2015
ISSN:	1932-6203
Publisher URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132754
Publisher DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0132754
Appears in collections:	DFG-OA-Publizieren (2012 - 2017)