Psycho‐oncological care of melanoma patients in certified skin cancer centers

Abstract

The certification of institutions as SCCs has led to the implementation of personnel, structural, and content requirements relating to psycho-oncological care. The majority of SCCs surveyed reported to be satisfied with the quality of care thus achieved.

Experiences of In-Patients with Skin Cancer in a German University Hospital Setting: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…32 Interestingly, nearly all certified skin cancer centers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria reported offering information/counseling, crisis intervention, oneon-one discussions, and palliative/end-of-life care as part of their psycho-oncology program. 33 Furthermore, the majority of centers in this sample admitted that their psycho-oncology programs primarily focus on inpatients. 33 However, in addition to the psychosocial burden, the desire for support should be assessed and patients should be provided with access to additional psychosocial care and support.…”

“…33 Furthermore, the majority of centers in this sample admitted that their psycho-oncology programs primarily focus on inpatients. 33 However, in addition to the psychosocial burden, the desire for support should be assessed and patients should be provided with access to additional psychosocial care and support. 34,35 In general, there is an urgent need to raise awareness of psycho-oncology not only in the hospitals but also in private practice, which has been confirmed by a recent survey on psychooncological care in dermatological practices in Germany.…”

CORR Insights®: What Proportion of Patients With Musculoskeletal Sarcomas Demonstrate Symptoms of Depression or Anxiety?

“…This certification system requires patients to be treated in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary manner-not limited to medical specialties, but also including psychosocial, nursing, and palliative care-and specifies, among other things, that all patients undergo screening for psychosocial distress [5]. Its implementation led to an improvement in the psychosocial care of patients treated at certified centers and helped generate large amounts of data for research [4,8,11]. Similar concepts, promoted by international sarcoma societies, should enable the sarcoma community to gather the populationbased data we need to identify distress and concomitant psychiatric disorders in patients with sarcoma and, ideally, improve the lives of our patients.…”