Who calls the breast care nurses – the rich, the poor or the poorly?.

Abstract

Abstract Abstract #6094 Introduction: Breast care nurses (BCNs) are valuable members of the team; they provide advice, counselling and act as patients' advocates. We have previously demonstrated the worth of BCNs in our UK centre1 and the high number of calls they receive from patients and family. In this study, we investigate factors that might influence call rates from individual patients. We have examined the effect of patient age, prognosis and social deprivation on demand for this service.
 Methods: Our BCNs collect prospectively daily call sheets. These sheets include hospital number, age, type of call (phone or face to face), duration of call, purpose of call and outcome. We have examined breast nurse call sheets over a six-month period. The patients' home zip codes were also collected and allocated to the correct electoral ward (small geographical areas with average population of 5500). Using data from the UK National Census in 2000, information on social status was derived from the patients' zip codes and given as the Index of Multiple Deprivation (ID2000). The ID2000 has both an ID2000 score and ID2000 ranking for different electoral wards across England. Low ID2000 scores and high ID2000 rankings correspond to areas of affluence. Prognostic information was derived using the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI). The data were analysed by Spearman rank correlation using Statview 5.0 (SAS Inc) software comparing call rate to age, NPI and ID2000 scores & rankings.
 Results: During a six-month period, 1188 patients contacted the breast cancer nurse specialists in the NHS and private setting. 204 (17.1%) patients contacted their BCN once; 228 (19.1%) twice; 264 (22.2%) three times and 492 (41.4%) of patients called four times or more.
 Analysis by Spearman rank correlation of number of calls against age (Rho = -0.009, p=0.90), NPI (Rho = 0.068, p=0.40), ID2000 scores (Rho = 0.058, p=0.41) & ID20000 rank (Rho = -0.060, p=0.40) show no evidence of a relationship between age, prognosis or deprivation and the need to access BCNs.
 Conclusions: The BCNs provide a valuable service to patients with breast cancer. This support continues throughout the individual patient's cancer journey. In Gloucestershire, the need for support appears to be independent of age, prognosis and social status.
 1 Counselling women with breast cancer - whose line is it anyway?
 F G Court, S Scarrott, M Cassidy-Gray, A Thomas, S Vestey, J Bristol, M Ghilchik, H Y Chan
 Abstract 6045 - SABCS 2007. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 6094.