Abstract
Objective: To explore whether the 2007 IOM recommendations had an impact on the reasons for calls to a cancer telephone helpline and determine the major reasons for calls at two different time periods after the 2007 recommendations. Methods: Caller data with identifiers removed were extracted from a cancer helpline database. Baseline data included calls made to the helpline between April 2, 2008 and September 2, 2009 (Period 1). Then, a second data set was built from data collected between September 3, 2009 and May 2, 2011 (Period 2). Results: The major reasons for calls to the cancer telephone helpline during the two different time periods were the same: financial assistance, helpline services information, coping assistance, support groups, and questions related to treatment. Four of the top five reasons were non-treatment related (i.e., financial issues, helpline services information, coping, and support). Conclusions: The nature of calls to the helpline suggests that the financial and psychosocial needs of people with cancer are not being addressed by healthcare providers. Practice implications: The new “normal” for cancer care includes decisions about complex care coupled with new regulatory and financial constraints. This underscores the importance of focused planning of cancer care across multiple care settings in order to ensure continuity of care for the whole person.
Highlights
Cancer survivors in the United States (US) number over 13 million in 2014, with more than 71% of these individuals over the age of 60 years [1] [2]
We examined the major reasons that individuals called a cancer telephone helpline at two different time periods after the 2007 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations were published [9]
The research team was composed of investigators from the University of Delaware, School of Nursing (UDSON), a Steering Committee composed of community stakeholders, staff from the Cancer Care Connection cancer helpline, and biostatisticians from the Christiana Care Center for Outcomes Research (CCOR)
Summary
Cancer survivors in the United States (US) number over 13 million in 2014, with more than 71% of these individuals over the age of 60 years [1] [2]. Regardless of age or lifestyle all people with cancer and their family caregivers want accurate and timely information related to their disease to help inform their healthcare decision-making. Those who receive and understand information about their cancer are more involved in making decisions about their treatment and report greater satisfaction with their treatment choices [4] [8]
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