Abstract
Integrating the psychosocial perspective in oncology is warranted. Here, we introduce a structured psychological intervention, the clinical-care focused psychological interview (CLiC), to address patients’ needs in the relationship with health professionals, clinical pathway and decision-making process. The perceived utility and feasibility of the CLiC were evaluated in a preliminary sample of 30 patients who were candidates to undergo a radical cystectomy at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. Patients reported a very high satisfaction with the interview, because it prepared them for their upcoming surgery by gathering more information about their clinical pathway and allowed them to discover the information they still needed. 30% stated that CLiC helped them to reorganise their thoughts and 36.7% understood the role of psychological intervention in the clinical pathway. Only 20% considered the CLiC useful in helping to build their relationship with the clinical staff. Before an invasive surgery such as radical cystectomy, patients’ need for information regarding the upcoming surgery seems to prevail. Knowing the future consequences and adjusting toward the disease could be paramount for patients in facing uncertainty and they might feel that creating a relationship with physicians could be a secondary issue. However, our data show that a structured psychological intervention such as the CLiC interview can collect important information for patients and healthcare professionals to develop real patient-centred care.
Highlights
Cancer has a significant impact on patients’ lives, about 25% of newly diagnosed cancer patients present mood disorders, depression and anxiety, which can impair their health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and wellbeing [1,2,3,4,5]
Patients reported a very high satisfaction with the interview, because it prepared them for their upcoming surgery by gathering more information about their clinical pathway and allowed them to discover the information they still needed. 30% stated that care focused psychological interview (CLiC) helped them to reorganise their thoughts and 36.7% understood the role of psychological intervention in the clinical pathway
None of the patients stated that the CLiC caused confusion or instilled doubts, and only 6.7% of the participants answered that the interview did not add anything to their reasoning. 43.3% of the patients answered that CLiC helped them in gathering more information about the clinical pathway and surgery, and to understand the information they still lack from clinicians. 30% stated that CLiC helped them to reorganise thoughts and 36.7% to understand the role of the psychological intervention in the clinical pathway
Summary
Cancer has a significant impact on patients’ lives, about 25% of newly diagnosed cancer patients present mood disorders, depression and anxiety, which can impair their health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and wellbeing [1,2,3,4,5]. The burden of cancer diagnosis and treatment is sometimes worsened by financial needs, the difficulty in finding living solutions to have easier access to the hospital, communication problems with physicians and other practical obstacles that might have a psychological impact. Patients experience difficulties in openly facing this type of issue, and can refuse psychological support sessions creating barriers to communication with the medical team and to compliance with cancer treatments [9]. In particular, are considered sensitive and taboo in the healthcare context [10], patients usually suffer negative consequences caused by the disease relating to intimacy with the partner [11,12,13]
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