Psychosocial distress among oncology patients in the safety net

Cimino, Theora; Said, Kiana; Safier, Leslie; Harris, Heather A.; Kinderman, Anne

doi:10.1002/pon.5525

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study was not conducted in the safety-net setting, however, and the sample was 82% White and 60% had commercial insurance. Cimino et al 22 assessed a mixeddiagnosis sample of patients in a safety-net setting at the initial medical oncology visit and found that 61% had clinically significant distress. That study used the NCCN Distress Thermometer, which is known to reflect symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as other aspects of distress, including spiritual, physical, and social problems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We identified only one published study quantifying psychological distress in this population. Cimino et al 22 used the NCCN Distress Thermometer (as opposed to measuring depression and anxiety) and found that 61% of patients with cancer in a safety-net setting endorsed clinically significant distress at their initial medical oncology visit.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impact of Psychological Distress on Treatment Timeliness in Oncology Patients at a Safety-Net Hospital

Madhusudhana

Gates

Singh

et al. 2021

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Psychological distress is common in patients with cancer. Distress can affect patients’ engagement with treatment. We examined the relationship between psychological distress and treatment timeliness in a sample of adult oncology patients at a safety-net hospital. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients screened for distress at a first outpatient oncology visit between March 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015 (n=500). The analytic sample (n=96) included patients with a new cancer diagnosis and a curative-intent treatment plan for lymphoma (stage I–IV), solid tumor malignancy (stage I–III), or head and neck cancer (stage I–IVb). Distress was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Using Poisson regression, we determined the effects of depression and anxiety on treatment timeliness. Patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance type, cancer site, and cancer stage were included as covariates. Results: Mean patient age was 54 years. The median treatment initiation interval was 28 days. Clinically significant anxiety was present in 34% of the sample, and clinically significant depression in 15%. Greater symptom severity in both anxiety and depression were associated with a longer treatment initiation interval after controlling for demographics and disease factors. The average days to treatment (DTT) was 4 days longer for patients with elevated anxiety scores and for those with elevated depression scores compared with those without. Overall survival was not associated with anxiety, depression, or DTT. Conclusions: In this safety-net patient sample, greater psychological distress was associated with slower time to treatment. As of writing, this is a new finding in the literature, and as such, replication studies utilizing diverse samples and distress measurement tools are needed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Psychological Distress on Treatment Timeliness in Oncology Patients at a Safety-Net Hospital

Madhusudhana

Gates

Singh

et al. 2021

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This cutoff was chosen based on prior studies showing optimal sensitivity and specificity when a cutoff score of 4 is used. [19][20][21][22][23] Cancer October 15, 2021 Categorical data were compared using nonparametric 2-sided tests, including the Mann-Whitney U test and the Fisher exact test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression as well as multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with ER visits, inpatient hospital admissions, and interruptions to the recommended care plan.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal social needs assessment in gynecologic oncology: An important step toward more informed and targeted care in the public safety net

Nyakudarika

Holschneider

Sinno

2021

Cancer

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND: Social needs are actionable mediators of social determinants of health. Along with distress, they affect quality of life and survival in patients with cancer. The objectives of this study were to identify the most common social needs and distress in a largely immigrant gynecologic oncology patient population at a public safety-net hospital and to evaluate for specific needs associated with distress and poor outcomes. METHODS: This was a prospective, survey-based cohort study of patients who participated in a performance-improvement initiative offering social needs assessment and distress screening. Patients provided sociodemographic information and completed validated surveys adapted from the Health Leads Social Needs Screening Toolkit, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer, and the Emotion Thermometers Tool. Associations between social needs, distress, and treatment outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 135 women were included. Of these, 65.2% had at least 1 unmet social need, and 36.3% screened positive for distress. Help reading hospital materials (30.4%) was the most frequently reported need. Social isolation (odds ratio [OR], 3.65; 95% CI, 1.35-9.9; P = .01) and lack of safety at home (OR, 4.90; 95% CI, 2.23-10.62; P = .0001) were associated with distress. Perceived lack of finances for medical care (OR, 5.69; 95% CI, 1.12-28.9; P = .036) and lack of transportation (OR, 20.5; 95% CI, 2.69-156.7; P = .004) were associated with nonadherence-related treatment interruption, whereas positive distress scores were associated with interruption because of comorbidities or treatment-related toxicities (OR, 20.5; 95% CI, 1.5-268.6; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Systematically identifying social needs and developing interventions aimed at mitigating them may lead to more actionable health care disparities research and affect treatment outcomes.

show abstract

“…This psychological support should be provided as soon as the disease has been diagnosed, since a cancer diagnosis produces emotional distress in patients and their families [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Depending on the study, the incidence of clinically significant distress could range between 24% [ 6 ], 52% [ 7 ] and 61% [ 8 ]. These differences may be explained by variations in the specific type of cancer and/or whether patients were assessed at diagnosis or while receiving oncological treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients’ Desire for Psychological Support When Receiving a Cancer Diagnostic

Blasco

Jovell-Fernández

Mirapeix

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Factors related to the desire of receiving psychological help in cancer patients are not well known. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of patients who would ask for psychological assistance in the first weeks following diagnosis, and to identify their psychosocial and disease-related profile. Method: This cross-sectional study assessed 229 consecutive cancer outpatients at a visit with their oncologist to be informed about the treatment they will receive. Disease-related and medical characteristics were assessed, and patients were asked about their mood states, levels of self-efficacy, and difficulties coping with the disease. Finally, patients were asked about their desire to receive psychological assistance. Results: Only 20% of patients expressed a desire for psychological help. These patients were lower in age and had previous history of mood disorders and reported higher discouragement and coping difficulties. These variables explained 30.6% of variance. Conclusions: Although psycho-oncologists can provide helpful interventions, the percentage of patients interested in receiving psychological assistance in this study is low. Although further studies are needed, results from this study suggest methods that could easily be used by oncologists and nurses to identify patients who would like to receive psychological support.

show abstract

Psychosocial distress among oncology patients in the safety net

Cited by 16 publications

References 29 publications

Impact of Psychological Distress on Treatment Timeliness in Oncology Patients at a Safety-Net Hospital

Impact of Psychological Distress on Treatment Timeliness in Oncology Patients at a Safety-Net Hospital

Universal social needs assessment in gynecologic oncology: An important step toward more informed and targeted care in the public safety net

Patients’ Desire for Psychological Support When Receiving a Cancer Diagnostic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About