Current Status of Distress Screening in Designated Cancer Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Survey in Japan

Abstract

Implementation of distress screening in designated cancer hospitals in Japan has just begun. Policymakers should acknowledge that screening can be beneficial for patients when it is implemented with appropriate resources and established methods.

A cross‐sectional study of agreement between the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and patient‐ and radiation oncologist–reported single‐item assessment of depression and anxiety

“…Therefore, the findings may not be generalisable to all patients undergoing RT cancer treatment in small and private hospital settings. Internationally, the HADS has been recommended for use; however, this is not a gold standard diagnostic tool, nor is it widely used in current outpatient distress screening programmes in designated cancer hospitals in Japan . Future research should examine these questions using a gold standard psychiatric interview .…”

“…Internationally, the HADS has been recommended for use; however, this is not a gold standard diagnostic tool, nor is it widely used in current outpatient distress screening programmes in designated cancer hospitals in Japan. 8 Future research should examine these questions using a gold standard psychiatric interview. 38,39 Clinician judgements about patients' levels of depression and anxiety may differ across disciplines (ie medical and surgical oncology) with longer-term involvement in patient care.…”

“…Validated brief, patient‐reported tools assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety are increasingly being used in the context of psychological distress screening programmes in oncology settings . Despite debate about the effectiveness of distress screening in Japanese oncology settings, routine screening programmes have been implemented in some cancer hospitals . There are many validated brief, patient‐reported tools for assessing psychological morbidity, including the distress thermometer (DT), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) .…”

“…[3][4][5] Despite debate about the effectiveness of distress screening in Japanese oncology settings, 6,7 routine screening programmes have been implemented in some cancer hospitals. 8 There are many validated brief, patient-reported tools for assessing psychological morbidity, including the distress thermometer (DT), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). 9 Mitchell's meta-analysis of HADS validation studies indicated that the HADS subscales perform well for detecting clinical depression and anxiety as defined in the International Classification of Diseases,…”

From evidence to implementation: The global challenge for psychosocial oncology

“…Routine distress screening in cancer clinics has been shown to be feasible in comprehensive cancer centers although often not implemented . However, even when such screening is implemented, psychosocial care is still not offered to or accessed by most cancer patients at all stages of the disease . This limitation in psychosocial care is due to multiple factors, including the lack of consensus about what interventions or support should be available on an urgent or routine basis, the lack of resources in cancer treatment centers, inadequate training of clinic staff and of psychosocial care providers in a range of modalities, and the lack of awareness of patients and of health care professionals about the benefit of psychosocial care .…”