ObjectivesPatients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have the poorest survival prognosis of any cancer. This survey aimed to describe their experiences of care and supportive care needs to inform future service provision.DesignCross-sectional questionnaire survey of patients with pancreatic cancer in the UK.SettingIndividuals at any stage along the care pathway were recruited via five National Health Service sites in the UK, and online, from January to June 2018.Participants274 individuals completed the questionnaire (78% (215) were completed online). Approximately half of participants were diagnosed within the last year (133/274). Of 212 providing gender details, 82 were male and 130 were female. Ninety per cent (192/213) described themselves as White British.Primary outcome measuresExperiences of communication and information; involvement in treatment decisions; supportive care needs.ResultsCommunication with, and care received from, clinical staff were generally reported positively. However, 29% (75/260) of respondents did not receive enough information at diagnosis, and 10% (25/253) felt they were not involved in decisions about their treatment, but would have liked to be. Supportive care needs were greatest in psychological and physical/daily living domains. 49% (108/221) of respondents reported one or more moderate/high unmet needs within the last month, of which the most commonly reported were: dealing with uncertainty about the future; fears about the cancer spreading; not being able to do things they used to; concerns about those close to them; lack of energy; anxiety; feelings of sadness and feeling down/depressed. Experiences were poorer, and unmet supportive care needs greater, in patients with unresectable disease.ConclusionsPatients with pancreatic cancer have unmet information and support needs across the cancer trajectory. Psychological and physical support appears to be the biggest gap in care. Needs should be assessed and supportive care interventions implemented from the point of diagnosis, and monitored regularly to help patients live as good a quality of life as possible.

The new surveys functioned well, with good evidence of validity, and were accessible to the SCD patient population, supporting their future use in assessing patient experience to inform service delivery and improvements in care quality.

BackgroundHypothyroid patients often report dissatisfaction and poor quality of life. This survey explored the impact of hypothyroidism on patient satisfaction, everyday living, experiences with healthcare professionals and influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods Cross-sectional questionnaire survey targeting an international population of hypothyroid patients. Multi-level regression modelling was used for analyses. ResultsThe total number of responses was 3915 from 68 countries. Satisfaction with care and treatment was not associated with type of treatment for hypothyroidism. Having no confidence and trust in healthcare professionals was strongly associated with dissatisfaction (p <0.01). Controlling for all other variables, significant differences were found among satisfaction rates between countries. A weak inverse relationship was found between satisfaction with care and treatment and impact on everyday living (p<0.001). Respondents taking levothyroxine alone, Thyroid

BackgroundBetween 10-15% of hypothyroid patients experience persistent symptoms despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism. Unexplained persistent symptoms can be a sign of somatization. This is associated with distress and high healthcare resource use and can be classified as Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD). Prevalence rates for SSD differ depending on classification criteria and how they are ascertained, varying between 4-25%. As this has not been studied in hypothyroid patients before, the aim of this study was to document somatization in people with hypothyroidism and explore associations with other patient characteristics and outcomes. Methods Online, multi-national, cross-sectional survey of individuals with selfreported, treated hypothyroidism, that included the validated patient health questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) for assessment of somatization. Chi-