Article

Measuring Oncology Nurses' Psychosocial Care Practices and Needs: Results of an Oncology Nursing Society Psychosocial Survey

Tracy Gosselin

Rebecca Crane-Okada

Margaret M. Irwin

Carol Tringali

Jennifer Wenzel

psychosocial, psychosocial care, psychosocial support systems, psychosocial issues, psychosocial concerns, psychosocial aspects, psychosocial distress, psychosocial intervention
ONF 2011, 38(6), 729-737. DOI: 10.1188/11.ONF.729-737

Purpose/Objectives: To develop and implement a survey of Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) members focused on their current practices and needs in relation to providing psychosocial care.

Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional.

Setting: Web-based survey of ONS members.

Sample: An invitation was e-mailed to 11,171 ONS members. Of those, 623 followed the link to the electronic survey and 64% of those (n = 401) completed the survey.

Methods: An ONS Psychosocial Project Team was convened in 2009. One of the team's goals was to develop a survey to assess members' needs. The final survey consisted of 24 items, including five items related to demographic characteristics. Response formats included Likert-type scale, yes and no, and open-ended questions.

Main Research Variables: Psychosocial care practices, education, and research.

Findings: Psychosocial concerns are assessed using a variety of methods. Nurse perceptions regarding primary responsibility for providing psychosocial services differ by group. Barriers to the provision of psychosocial care exist at the individual, institutional, and community levels.

Conclusions: Although nurses assess patients' psychosocial needs, multiple barriers still exist related to interdisciplinary communication; knowledge of the Institute of Medicine's recommendations; and resources at the individual, institutional, and community levels.

Implications for Nursing: The survey results were presented to the ONS Board of Directors, along with a three-year plan that included recommendations for future development of advocacy, practice, education, and research initiatives. Additional work is needed to effectively support RNs in their provision of psychosocial care to patients and families.

Jump to a section

    References

    Dillman, D.A. (2000). Mail and Internet surveys: The tailored design method. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
    Fulcher, C.D., & Gosselin-Acomb, T.K. (2007). Distress assessment: Practice change through guideline implementation. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 11, 817-821. doi:10.1188/07.CJON.817-821
    Hawkes, A.L., Hughes, K.L., Hutchison, S.D., & Chambers, S.K. (2010). Feasibility of brief psychological distress screening by a community-based telephone helpline for cancer patients and carers. BMC Cancer, 10, 14. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-10-14
    Holland, J.C., & Alici, Y. (2010). Mangement of distress in cancer patients. Journal of Supportive Oncology, 8(1), 4-12.
    Holland, J.C., Andersen, B., Breitbart, W.S., Compas, B., Dudley, M.M., Fleishman, S., … Zevon, M.A. (2010). Distress management. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 8, 448-485.
    Institute of Medicine. (2008). Cancer care for the whole patient: Meeting psychosocial health needs. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
    Jacobsen, P.B. (2009). Promoting evidence-based psychosocial care for cancer patients. Psycho-Oncology, 18, 6-13. doi:10.1002/pon.1468
    Jacobsen, P.B., & Ransom, S. (2007). Implementation of NCCN distress management guidelines by member institutions. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 5, 99-103.
    Matheson, K., Ruben, M., & Ross, H. (2009). 2009 e-Nonprofit benchmark study: An analysis of online messaging, fundraising, and advocacy metrics for nonprofit organizations. Retrieved from http://www.fresnoregfoundation.org/_literature_34547/2009_Nonprofit_Ebenchmarks_Study
    National Comprehensive Cancer Network. (2011). NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Distress management [v.1.2011]. Retrieved from http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/distress.pdf
    Oncology Nursing Society. (2008). Psychosocial services for patients with cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 35, 337.
    Oncology Nursing Society. (2011). ONS mission statement. Retrieved from http://www.ons.org/about
    Vitek, L., Rosenzweig, M.Q., & Stollings, S. (2007). Distress in patients with cancer: Definition, assessment, and suggested interventions. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 11, 413-418. doi:10.1188/07.CJON.413-418
    Zabora, J., BrintzenhofeSzoc, K., Curbow, B., Hooker, C., & Piantadosi, S. (2001). The prevalence of psychological distress by cancer site. Psycho-Oncology, 10, 19-28. doi:10.1002/1099-1611(200101/02)10:1<19::AID-PON501>3.0.CO;2-6