Utilization of Professional Supportive Care Services by Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

This paper reports on the results of a survey of utilization of professional supportive care services by women with breast cancer, and on patterns of differential service utilization by sub-groups of patients. Study participants were women with invasive breast cancer diagnosed 23-36 months prior to contact about the study, and randomly selected from the Ontario Cancer Registry. From among 1,119 eligible women sent survey questionnaires, 731 returned completed questionnaires (65%). A total of 31% of respondents reported accessing one or more of the following professionals: social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, dietitian, physiotherapist. Among those who responded to a question about whether they would have liked specific services, 34% reported that there was at least one professional supportive care service they would have liked to use, but were unable to access. Factors shown to be related to greater utilization of services included: younger age, higher household income, employed or student status, private health insurance coverage, and having received chemotherapy. Overall, there was a surprisingly low utilization of professional specialized supportive care services among women with breast cancer. Policy implications include finding strategies to better inform cancer patients about existing services, and ensuring that a core set of services are available to all patients.

Increased health care utilization among long‐term cancer survivors compared to the average Dutch population: A population‐based study

“…A Canadian study on the use of supportive care services by women with breast cancer (N 5 1659) reported that 5% of women visited a psychologist. 8 In addition, an American study reported that cancer survivors contacted a mental health provider in 7% of cases. 9 In our study, the percentage of patients who visited a psychologist was positively related to a higher educational level.…”

“…7 Furthermore, a large minority of breast cancer patients (23-26 months after diagnosis) required supportive care (e.g., psychologist, physiotherapist) but about one-third of patients were unable to access at least one of these services. 8 Moreover, cancer survivors reported a greater need for mental health services than individuals without a history of cancer, especially those who were under the age of 65 and diagnosed at a younger age, were formerly married, or had other comorbid chronic conditions. 9 The difference in health care utilization between long-term cancer survivors and the general population could not be attributed to the higher prevalence of common somatic complaints.…”

Survivor Dragon Boating: A Vehicle to Reclaim and Enhance Life After Treatment for Breast Cancer

“…There is huge variability within North America in the provision of professional supportive care services for people with cancer (Gray et al, 2000). Where services do exist, patients in active treatment tend to have priority access over long-term survivors.…”

Oncology professionals and patient requests for cancer support services

“…OHCPs from varied professions perform an important function by helping patients move from the role of patient to that of survivor [14]. Gray et al [17] investigated utilization of professional supportive care services by breast cancer patients. The women reported accessing services through a variety of professional groups including social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists, physicians, and other health care professionals.…”