Psychosocial Oncology Care Research Articles

Perspectives of patients, partners, primary and hospital-based health care professionals on living with advanced cancer and systemic treatment

Abstract Purpose An emerging group of patients lives longer with advanced cancer while receiving systemic treatment. This study aimed to investigate psychosocial aspects of living longer with advanced cancer, and experiences with psychosocial care, from the perspectives of patients, partners, and health care professionals (HCPs). Methods From May to December 2020, participants were purposively selected. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted by video or phone call, containing open questions regarding psychosocial aspects and psychosocial care in oncology. The data was analysed following thematic analysis, leading to overarching psychosocial themes and indications for optimal organisation of psycho-oncological care. Results Fifteen patients, seven partners and eleven HCPs were interviewed. The main psychosocial aspects were increasing loss in several life domains, complexity of making life choices, ongoing uncertainty, and fluctuating fear and hope. Partners were affected by their loved ones’ condition and reported to put themselves second for longer periods of time, while sometimes missing adequate support. HCPs were challenged by addressing the altering psychosocial needs of patients, and tools to identify those in need for psychosocial support are currently lacking. Conclusions Living longer with advanced cancer presents unique challenges for patients and their partners, as well as for HCPs in delivering optimal psychosocial care. Implications for Cancer Survivors Identifying and addressing patients’ psychosocial needs from an early stage on, appointing a central hospital-based contact person, limiting the waiting time between scans and consultations, and addressing the partners’ wellbeing are suggestions to organise optimal psychosocial support in advanced cancer.

Development and implementation of an equitable and efficient navigation program to address supportive care needs in patients with cancer.

58 Background: Despite evidence backing the use of navigation along the cancer care trajectory, existing programs struggle to deliver services efficiently and equitably. To bridge this gap, we developed and implemented a patient-centric, data-driven navigation program that leverages a risk-stratification approach to prioritize and address unmet needs. Methods: Our program was developed with key principles to address inefficiencies in existing navigation systems. First, we embedded the program within our institution’s Epic environment, using data-driven risk calculators, dashboards, flowsheets, and templates to support the navigation curriculum. Second, the program structure aligned with the patient’s journey from initial consult through treatment, focusing on early identification of unmet needs, centralized resourcing, and remote symptom monitoring for high-risk patients. Third, we unified the workflows of navigators, intake personnel, triage nurses, and providers, fostering system-wide collaboration. Results: The program has been successfully implemented in patients with new consults in gastrointestinal, breast, and hematologic oncology. To date, 2,080 patients have had an initial assessment leading to a Navigation Assessment Score (NAS) that predicts longitudinal burden of unmet needs and directs subsequent resourcing. 226 referrals have been generated to: cancer rehabilitation (76), nutrition (60), psychosocial oncology (48), tobacco cessation (39), and palliative care (3). Remote symptom monitoring was piloted in 34 gastrointestinal oncology patients meeting the calculated highest decile risk for unplanned acute care event use. Proportions of patients with a NAS score (N=2,080): 69.3% White, 17.7% Black, 3% Latinx, 1.8% Asian, 0.9% American Indian; referrals (N=226): 61.2% White, 23.0% Black, 4.9% Latinx, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% American Indian; remote symptom monitoring (N=34): 79.4% White, 11.8% Black, 5.9% American Indian. Except for Latinx patients, these distributions align with the patient population in gastrointestinal, breast, and hematologic oncology (N=4,267; 68.0% White, 22.5% Black, 6.4% Latinx, 1.9% Asian, 0.9% American Indian). Conclusions: Development and implementation of our program is feasible, and the approach has potential to mitigate disparities in cancer service delivery and outcomes. Ongoing efforts include exploring accessibility among Latinx patients and developing the business case for sustainability and scaling.

Preparing Children for Invasive MedicalCancer Treatment with "My Logbook": Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study.

Pediatric cancer is one of the most burdensome chronic diseases, necessitating a variety of severe medical interventions. As a result, the disease and its treatment cause numerous acute and long-term medical, psychological, and socioeconomic strains for young patients and their families. Therefore, psychosocial care using evidence-based interventions (EBIs) before, during, and after medical treatments is essential to ensure that patients receive adequate information and to minimize the adverse emotional and psychosocial impacts such as insecurity, fear, and shame. The present study reports the first promising results of applying cancer-specific psychosocial methods developed in the quality improvement project "My Logbook." The four assessed tools are specifically designed to adequately prepare pediatric cancer patients for surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and stem cell transplantation. Self and proxy ratings were used to assess the patients' subjective knowledge and emotional well-being before and after each intervention session. The results showed that patient-centered interventions using various creative and developmentally adapted methodologies (e.g., psychoeducation, crafting, games) have the potential to effectively enhance patient health literacy (V = 120.5, p < .001, r = 0.33) and well-being as manifested in more positive (slope = 0.121, p = .016) and less negative (slope = - 0.350, p < .001) or neutral emotions (slope = - 0.202, p = .002). These findings highlight the importance of developing and implementing psychosocial tools in pediatric oncology to prevent psychological overload and negative emotions and to increase subjective control beliefs, autonomy, and empowerment. Moreover, the effective application and systematic evaluation of evidence-based psychosocial tools can facilitate the establishment of standardized guidelines for psychosocial care in pediatric oncology. Thereby, the final goal is to ensure the quality of care and to use education to increase the quality of life for all pediatric cancer patients.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04474678 (July 17, 2020).

Helping adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer manage identity distress: Enhancing clinician-AYA patient communication to promote identity development

ObjectiveA cancer diagnosis during adolescence and young adulthood (AYA) disrupts AYAs’ identity formation, a critical task for healthy development, and contributes to psychological distress called identity distress. Clinical communication is central to promoting AYAs’ healthy identity development. We sought to identify aspects of clinician-diagnosed AYA communication that can promote AYAs’ identity development and potentially buffer them from distress. MethodsIn-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two groups (AYA oncology clinicians and diagnosed AYAs). Transcripts were thematically analyzed to capture communication that clinicians and AYAs perceive promotes AYAs’ identity development and buffers related distress. ResultsFourteen diagnosed AYAs and 7 clinicians identified three clinician- or AYA-led communication approaches and associated strategies that they perceive can buffer identity distress and promote identity development: 1) clinicians’ using person-centered communication (e.g., empathic communication); 2) promoting AYAs’ control/self-management of care (e.g., not dictating AYAs’ behavior); and 3) prioritizing/seeing the person behind the patient (e.g., knowing the AYA as a person). Conclusion/practice implicationsBoth AYA oncology clinicians and diagnosed AYAs can communicate in ways that protect AYAs’ identity development and related psychological well-being. Findings can be implemented into targeted communication skills interventions to teach health-promoting behavior and augment AYAs’ psychosocial oncology care.

Psychosocial and palliative care in African national cancer control plans: A qualitative study.

Low and middle income countries of Africa account for a disproportionate amount of the global health burden of cancer. Providing patients access to psychosocial oncology and palliative care through policy structures such as the National Cancer Control Plans (NCCP) is essential to improving the care provided to patients and their families. The first phase of this study sought to determine the extent to which palliative care and psychosocial oncology were integrated in NCCPs in African countries. A qualitative thematic analysis of the plans was used using Nvivo, with two-raters coding and continuous team discussions. Data were organized into an infographic map showing the coverage of themes across African countries. Fifty-eight NCCPs and NCD plans were analyzed in the 54 countries in Africa. The findings illustrate a lack of standardization across countries' NCCPs in addressing psychosocial oncology and palliative care themes. Certain areas presented good coverage across several plans, such as barriers to access, education, awareness, and health behaviors, coordination of care, families, caregivers and community involvement, and palliative care. Other themes presented low coverage, such as doctor-patient communication, mental health, bereavement, psychosocial care, survivorship care, and traditional medicine. One may consider further developing NCCP areas as they pertain to psychosocial oncology and palliative care to ensure their proper place on the policy agenda for a healthier Africa.

Advancement of Nursing Education in Psychosocial Oncology Care: Perspectives and Experiences of Nurses

Advancement of Nursing Education in Psychosocial Oncology Care: Perspectives and Experiences of Nurses

The oracle of D-A-Ch - Results of a Delphi Survey for the development of the evidence- and consensus-based tool "My Logbook".

The present report describes the results of four delphi surveys conducted within the quality improvement project "My Logbook" which aims to translate evidence-based standards for psychosocial care in pediatric oncology into a practical consensus-based tool. In four consecutive delphi surveys a total of n=153 international, multi-disciplinary experts rated the content, method, and design of the different booklets of "My Logbook" which a local expert group had conceptualized. After each survey, the feedback was incorporated, and the changes were evaluated in a final consensus vote by the quality assurance panel of the PSAPOH. While some surveys led to a review on a page level, most booklets as a whole reached the consensus-level of approval. Over the course of the surveys, any revisions and comments were incorporated in the booklets, and approval rates increased steadily. The delphi surveys ensured the integration of multi-disciplinary, international expertise, uncovering issues such as language barriers and the need for a user manual that would not have been evident in first line . The incorporation of the input led to a continuous improvement of the tool, reflected in steadily increasing acceptance rates in the consecutive survey rounds. The incorporation of the expert input as well as the additional development of a user manual resulted in a final version of the "My Logbook" apt for the interdisciplinary application in pediatric oncology in the entire DACH-region.

A grounded theory of how people process their cancer experiences through a mindfulness-based expressive arts group

Abstract Background: Given the distress associated with cancer experiences, there is a growing interest in mindfulness-based expressive arts interventions (MBAIs) for promoting patients' well-being. Our research objective was to develop a theoretical understanding of how patients with cancer experience, use, and draw meaning from an MBAI. Methods: We used a constructivist grounded theory research design and gathered narrative descriptions of participants' (N = 32) MBAI experiences through semistructured interviews and field notes. Participants brought the artwork they had created in the group, facilitating art elicitation. Data were analyzed with grounded theory methods. Results: Participants described how the dynamic interplay of mindfulness, the arts, group sharing, and bearing witness facilitated the processing and sharing of hidden thoughts, experiences, and emotions. The group facilitated several unique meaning-making processes, including re-envisioning personal identity within disruption and loss, creating a fitting container for the exploration of diverse emotions, revisiting difficult experiences within the sensitivity of art, and visualizing hope and healing. This process resulted in important learnings and benefits for living in the here and now: relational connections, facing cancer through artistic play, discovering intuition and personal resources, learning an emotional language and a new mindset to move forward, understanding what one needs to heal, and fostering gratitude and hope. Conclusions: MBAIs allowed for a multimodal form of meaning making which facilitated coping, adjustment, and living well with cancer. These findings will enable practitioners to design and implement more effective health services and inform future research about this therapeutically promising approach to psychosocial oncology care.

In Memoriam: J. Randall Curtis, MD

Journal of Palliative MedicineAhead of Print In MemoriamJ. Randall Curtis, MDSusan D. BlockSusan D. BlockAddress correspondence to: Susan D. Block, MD, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02138, USA. E-mail Address: susan_block@dfci.harvard.eduDepartment of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:18 Apr 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2023.0202AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"J. Randall Curtis, MD." Journal of Palliative Medicine, , pp. –FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 0Issue 0 InformationCopyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Susan D. Block.J. Randall Curtis, MD.Journal of Palliative Medicine.ahead of printhttp://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2023.0202Online Ahead of Print:April 18, 2023PDF download

Evidence-Based Practice in Psychosocial Oncology from the Perspective of Canadian Service Directors.

Evidence-based practices facilitate the effective delivery of psychological services, yet research on the implementation of evidence-based practices in psychosocial oncology (PSO) is scarce. Responding to this gap, we interviewed a diverse sample of 16 directors of Canadian psychosocial oncology services about (a) how evidence-based practices in psychosocial oncology are being implemented in clinical care and how the service quality is monitored and (b) what are barriers and facilitators to evidence-based practice in psychosocial oncology services? Responses were grouped according to three main themes emerging from the data: screening for distress and referral to PSO services, delivery of evidence-based PSO services, and monitoring of PSO services. Our findings highlight facilitators and barriers to evidence-based practice in psychosocial oncology, which were related to the political, social, economic, and geographic contexts. The stepped care model was identified as a science-informed approach to improve the cost-effectiveness of triage systems and treatment delivery while facilitating more equitable access to services. Other facilitators included electronic screening and referral systems as well as protected time for clinicians to communicate more within their teams and participate in knowledge exchange. High caseloads presented a major barrier to acquiring and implementing evidence-based practices. Recommen-dations include increased support for evidence-based onboarding and continued training as well as for data collection regarding service needs, quality, and quantity to inform service monitoring and advocacy for more financial resources. Our findings are relevant to healthcare decision makers, implementation researchers, as well as service directors and practitioners providing psychosocial oncology care.

Annual Meeting Panel to Examine the Evolution of Physician Aid in Dying

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Annual MeetingFull AccessAnnual Meeting Panel to Examine the Evolution of Physician Aid in DyingMark MoranMark MoranSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:26 Feb 2023https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2023.03.3.26AbstractPanel members will discuss the challenge of defining standards for “irremediability” in psychiatric disorders and will discuss the impact of expanding laws regarding physician-assisted dying on marginalized populations suffering from life distress.Physician Aid in Dying (PAD), also known as Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) has been legalized or decriminalized in over a dozen jurisdictions around the world, and assisted dying policies continue to evolve, including in the United States. Many jurisdictions are exploring whether to introduce PAD laws or expand existing law to include PAD based on a mental disorder.“The psychiatrist helping patients to consider this unique and permanent request has a responsibility to assess for potentially treatable contributing conditions, including demoralization,” says John Peteet, M.D.This year’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco will feature a panel discussion titled “Physician-Assisted Death and Psychiatric Disorders.” PAD for mental disorders has been permitted for two decades in the Netherlands and Belgium, and 2023 marks the legalization of the practice in Canada (to be introduced as of March 2023).John Peteet, M.D., will explore how capacity for PAD may differ from capacity to refuse treatment. He is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the psychosocial oncology and palliative care fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.“I plan to focus on the role of the psychiatrist in evaluating patients for capacity to request MAiD, which is a role we play in several U.S. jurisdictions now,” he told Psychiatric News. “I’ll be suggesting that rather than a straightforward assessment of depression and the intellectual understanding of what is involved, the psychiatrist as a physician helping patients to consider this unique and permanent request has a responsibility to assess for potentially treatable contributing conditions, including demoralization.”Case examples will illustrate that at stake is not only the patient’s cognitive capacity and DSM diagnosis, but also the patient’s emotional capacity and the professional and clinical responsibility of the doctor to the patient.K. Sonu Gaind, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and past president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, will review the Canadian experience, as Canada moves toward providing MAiD for patients with psychiatric disorders. Gaind is on the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel reviewing PAD for mental disorders.Marie Nicolini, M.D., Ph.D., psychiatrist and researcher at the Belgian Research Foundation Flanders and Georgetown University, will discuss the history of PAD for patients with psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands and Belgium.Panel members will discuss the challenge of defining adequate standards for “irremediability” in psychiatric disorders and patient requests for PAD and discuss the potential impact of expanding PAD laws on marginalized populations suffering from life distress. ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Caring for People We Know: An Unrecognized Risk for Burnout?

Background: As the field of palliative care continues to grow, many clinicians will care for patients with whom they have personal connections. Breaching the boundary between a clinician's personal and professional life is potentially an unrecognized risk for burnout. Objective: We explored the challenges of caring for patients personally known to clinicians and the types of support needed, with a view to developing preliminary practice guidelines. Design: Focus groups. Setting/Subjects: Thirteen psychosocial oncology and palliative care clinicians who care for adult patients participated in one of two focus groups. Six participants were physicians, four were nurse practitioner/registered nurse/physician assistant (NP/RN/PAs), and three were psychosocial clinicians. Measurement: Using NVivo 12, we analyzed focus group transcripts from clinicians about their experiences caring for patients they know personally, the impact of such experiences, and the type of support and guidelines that could benefit clinicians in these unique situations. Results: Navigating boundaries and managing the psychological impact on the clinician, including fear of negative evaluation, increased anxiety and emotional exhaustion were the most challenging aspects of providing such care. Suggested guidelines include an early team meeting, a buddy system, a conversation guide to address the dual relationship, and embedded psychological support and mentorship. Conclusions: Feedback from clinicians identified preliminary guidelines that incorporate tools palliative care teams can use to improve support for clinicians caring for patients with whom they have a personal connection. These tools address the psychosocial aspects of care and have the potential to help clinicians feel a greater sense of control in these often, challenging and emotionally taxing situations.

Efficacy of a smartphone-based care support programme in improving post-traumatic stress in families with childhood cancer: protocol of a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionDiagnosis and treatment represent distressing experiences for the families of children with cancer. Psychosocial challenges are faced by these families in China because of limited health services and resources for...

Breast Cancer Survivorship Programme: Follow-Up, Rehabilitation, Psychosocial Oncology Care. 1st Central-Eastern European Professional Consensus Statement on Breast Cancer.

Follow-up includes ongoing contact with and health education of the patient, surveillance and control of the adverse effects of surgery, oncological therapies or radiotherapy, screening of metachronous cancers, and comprehensive (physical, psychological and social) patient rehabilitation, which may be enhanced by a healthy lifestyle. Primary attention should be paid to early detection and, when needed, curative treatment of local/regional tumour recurrences. Similarly, with the hope of curative solution, it is important to recognize the entity of a low-mass and relatively indolent recurrence or metastasis (oligometastasis); however, there is still no need to investigate distant metastases by routine diagnostic imaging or assess tumour markers. Below there is a list of possible sources of support, with respect to adjuvant hormone therapy continued during long-term care, social support resources, pivotal points and professional opportunities for physical and mental rehabilitation. Individual solutions for specific issues (breast cancer risk/genetic mutation, pregnancy) are provided by constantly widening options. Ideally, a complex breast cancer survivorship programme is practised by a specially trained expert supported by a cooperative team of oncologists, surgeons, breast radiologists, social workers, physiotherapists, psycho-oncologists and psychiatrists. The approach of follow-up should be comprehensive and holistic.

Defining self-disclosure of personal cancer coping experiences in oncology social workers’ helping relationships: When cancer “hits home”

Purpose Oncology social workers are increasingly finding themselves diagnosed with or caring for a loved one with cancer. Self-disclosure may be useful for building a therapeutic alliance. Yet, practice-informed guidelines for psychosocial oncology providers do not exist. Research Approach Twenty-three psychosocial oncology providers diagnosed with and/or providing care to someone with cancer completed semi-structured interviews eliciting attitudes and utilization regarding self-disclosure. Methodological Approach Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using grounded theory’s constant comparative method, researchers conducted open and theoretical coding. Findings Participants expressed consensus in defining, and reported a range of evolving practices regarding, self-disclosure. Recommendations for responsible self-disclosure included self-awareness, ongoing assessment, supervision, and enhanced educational programming. Interpretation and Implication Therapeutic tools must evolve as core features of psychosocial oncology care. A flexible and context-specific framework for clinician self-disclosure related to personal experiences with cancer can guide oncology social work practice.

Shifting psychosocial oncology care to telepsychology during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly shifted psychosocial services to telepsychology, including psychosocial oncology (PSO) practices. PSO providers work with patients undergoing treatment, experiencing treatment delays and/or immuno-suppression in the context of a global pandemic. There is evidence to support the acceptability of telepsychology among cancer patients and an emerging need for data to inform the design and provision of telepsychology PSO care during the pandemic and beyond. Research Objectives This study examined engagement in telepsychology PSO care at an outpatient community cancer center. Methods The current study analyzed practice data from a PSO department from March 2020 through September 2020. The sample included 354 patients (91 established; 263 newly referred). Descriptive, correlational, and comparative analyses were conducted. Results Among established patients, 93% continued with telepsychology PSO care after the pandemic and 94% completed at least one telepsychology appointment. Among newly referred patients, 50.6% scheduled a telepsychology appointment, consistent with the scheduling rate for the proceeding calendar year (50%). Across patients scheduling telepsychology PSO appointments (N = 194), 68 initially engaged in phone-based services with 20 converting to video, for a total of 127 (76.5%) patients utilizing video-based PSO services. Common reasons for phone-based services included ‘patient preference’ (N = 14), ‘lack of access’ (N = 9), and ‘technology barriers’ (N = 8). During this timeframe, 18% had at least one no-show, which is significantly less than the preceding year (23%). Phone-based patients were significantly older (p =.007). A greater proportion of males engaged in phone-based services compared to females (p = .006). Conclusions Telepsychology PSO engages new and existing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be an increased demand for services and increased utilization in the context of the pandemic and the availability of telepsychology. There are disparities and access issues that should be considered and addressed.

How to Develop Statistical Predictive Risk Models in Oncology Nursing to Enhance Psychosocial and Supportive Care.

Predictive risk models are advocated in psychosocial oncology practice to provide timely and appropriate support to those likely to experience the emotional and psychological consequences of cancer and its treatments. New digital technologies mean that large scale and routine data collection are becoming part of everyday clinical practice. Using these data to try to identify those at greatest risk for late psychosocial effects of cancer is an attractive proposition in a climate of unmet need and limited resource. In this paper, we present a framework to support the development of high-quality predictive risk models in psychosocial and supportive oncology. The aim is to provide awareness and increase accessibility of best practice literature to support researchers in psychosocial and supportive care to undertake a structured evidence-based approach. Statistical prediction risk model publications. In statistical modeling and data science different approaches are needed if the goal is to predict rather than explain. The deployment of a poorly developed and tested predictive risk model has the potential to do great harm. Recommendations for best practice to develop predictive risk models have been developed but there appears to be little application within psychosocial and supportive oncology care. Use of best practice evidence will ensure the development and validation of predictive models that are robust as these are currently lacking. These models have the potential to enhance supportive oncology care through harnessing routine digital collection of patient-reported outcomes and the targeting of interventions according to risk characteristics.

Enhancing integrated psychosocial oncology through leveraging the oncology social worker's role in collaborative care.

The collaborative care model is effective in delivering evidence-based psychosocial oncology care. Social workers comprise the largest proportion of psychosocial oncology providers in the United States. This study describes the process and perceptions of clinical oncology social workers at a large comprehensive cancer center who transitioned to practicing as care managers within collaborative care. We describe the process of engaging clinical oncology social workers as care managers as part of the implementation of collaborative care at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. We then present survey results from 2017 and 2020 of participating social workers' perceptions of the collaborative care model's advantages and disadvantages. Since the implementation of collaborative care at our institution, key functions of the social worker as care manager were defined. The majority of social workers surveyed in 2017 and 2020 agreed that collaborative care led to improved clinical outcomes, timely access to care, and greater patient satisfaction. They also reported professional advantages: more interdisciplinary team integration, working at the top of their licensure, and improved job satisfaction. Challenges identified included missing important patient needs and creating extra work burden for social workers. Oncology social workers can be successfully deployed as care managers within a collaborative care model, thus leveraging existing clinical staff to address unmet psychosocial patient needs. This model is feasible and sustainable in a large academic cancer center, requires minimal additional resources, and is favorably viewed by participating social workers in terms of perceived benefits to patients and their own professional roles.

Grieving and Hospital‐Based Bereavement Care During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Journal of Hospital MedicineVolume 15, Issue 11 p. 699-701 Perspectives in Hospital Medicine Grieving and Hospital-Based Bereavement Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic Sue E Morris PsyD, Corresponding Author Sue E Morris PsyD sue_morris@dfci.harvard.edu Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsCorresponding Author: Sue E Morris, PsyD; Email: sue_morris@dfci.harvard.edu; Telephone: 617-632-6037; Twitter: @sueemorris.Search for more papers by this authorNivetha Paterson MSc (Eng), Nivetha Paterson MSc (Eng) Patient and Family Relations, Department of Quality and Safety, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this authorMallika L Mendu MD, MBA, Mallika L Mendu MD, MBA Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Quality and Safety, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this author Sue E Morris PsyD, Corresponding Author Sue E Morris PsyD sue_morris@dfci.harvard.edu Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsCorresponding Author: Sue E Morris, PsyD; Email: sue_morris@dfci.harvard.edu; Telephone: 617-632-6037; Twitter: @sueemorris.Search for more papers by this authorNivetha Paterson MSc (Eng), Nivetha Paterson MSc (Eng) Patient and Family Relations, Department of Quality and Safety, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this authorMallika L Mendu MD, MBA, Mallika L Mendu MD, MBA Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Quality and Safety, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 21 October 2020 https://doi.org/10.12788/jhm.3503Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume15, Issue11November 2020Pages 699-701 RelatedInformation

Bereavement risk screening: A pathway to psychosocial oncology care.

This qualitative study sought to obtain feedback from stakeholder cancer caregivers and bereaved family members on the implementation of bereavement risk screening in oncology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 family members of patients with advanced cancer (n = 12) and bereaved family members (n = 26) on when and how to effectively implement bereavement risk screening. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Many participants indicated that they would be open to completing a self-report screening measure before and after the patient's death. Several suggested screening at multiple timepoints and the importance of follow-up. Participants viewed screening as an opportunity to connect to psychosocial support. The findings suggest that family members appear supportive of sensitively approached bereavement risk screening before and after a patient's death as an important component of quality psychosocial care. To optimize implementation, bereavement risk screening would involve screening at multiple timepoints and include follow-up. Findings suggest standardized risk screening using a brief, validated self-report tool would be a pragmatic approach to increasing access to bereavement care.