Supportive Care Needs (SCN) of Cancer Patients Referred to the Medical Centers in Iran

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

1 Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

2 Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran.

3 Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Supportive Care Needs s of cancer patients in Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted on cancer patients referred to public and private medical centers in Gorgan (Northern Iran) in 2020. Cancer patients refered to private medical ccentes were recruited into the study using the convenience sampling method. The reliable and valid “Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form” (SCNS-SF) with 34 items in five domains of need (physical and daily living, psychological, sexuality, patient care and support, health system, and information) was used to collect data. Results: Out of 247 patients, 54.7% were females with a mean age of 46.15± 9.36. The most common site of involvement was breast (25.1%), and the duration of involvement was 7.51±6.79 months. The total mean of SCNs was 68.80±18.5 so that the highest (73.68±15.03) and lowest (60.42±27.19) SCNs were related to physical and daily living as well as sexual domains, respectively. The highest frequency (62.3%) of SCNs was related to “fatigue/lack of energy”. Conclusion: This study showed that cancer patients experienced many unmet needs in various dimensions. Therefore, it is necessary to address these needs simultaneously treating the disease and developing and implementing a care plan based on patients’ priorities.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
Volume 24, Issue 9
September 2023
Pages 2983-2989

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 10 August 2022
  • Revise Date: 30 May 2023
  • Accept Date: 10 September 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics