Scoping the psychological support practices of Australian health professionals working with people with primary brain tumor and their families

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to scope the psychological support practices of Australian health professionals providing supportive care to adults with primary brain tumor. Method Health professionals from multidisciplinary organizations and cancer support services completed an online survey focused on psychological support for people with brain tumor (PwBT) and family members, and perceived barriers or gaps in support provision. Results 107 professionals, mainly from psychology (45%), nursing (20%), and social work (10%) backgrounds, completed the survey. Scope of practice differed according to discipline, with psychologists and nurses most likely to screen for psychological distress (71%–76%), and psychologists more typically providing at least one psychological support session (78%). Psychologists were more likely to screen for cognitive impairment (31%), whereas nurses and social workers more commonly provided family‐based support (62%–73%). Psychological support was more frequently provided in the long‐term management phase (78%) than early post‐diagnosis/treatment (45%). System‐level barriers to accessing psychological support were most frequently identified, which included limited resources and funding, insufficient staff time, lengthy waitlists and costs, poor service coordination, and lack of staff with brain tumor‐specific training. Conclusions The provision of psychological support for PwBT varies according to discipline, setting and management phase. Further research on different models of psychosocial care is needed to inform strategies to address organizational and policy factors impacting professionals' scope of practice.

Determining the Research Priorities for Adult Primary Brain Tumours in Australia and New Zealand: A Delphi Study with Consumers, Health Professionals, and Researchers

“…Our team has conducted studies to determine the unmet needs of patients diagnosed with high-grade glioma [ 48 ] and their carers [ 49 , 50 ] and also developed an intervention to assist in carer preparedness following diagnosis [ 51 , 52 ]. Additionally, work is being conducted in Australia to understand current support services available to patients [ 53 , 54 ] and to develop and test psychosocial interventions that provide additional support to patients [ 55 ]. Internationally several studies have been conducted on patient and carer needs and interventions to support them [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ].…”

Access to psychosocial support for people with brain tumor and family members: Healthcare professional perspectives

“…We aimed to recruit a minimum of 20 HPs from different disciplines, clinical settings, states, and territories across Australia. Participants were recruited from a national survey of 107 HPs, 26 which invited them to indicate interest in being interviewed. After initial recruitment of 14 HPs, purposeful and snowballing sampling was used to recruit a further seven participants to increase representation of different disciplines and clinical settings.…”

“…Research on psychosocial support needs of PwBT and their families highlights the need for flexible and timely access to support based on individual needs from diagnosis into long‐term survivorship and end‐of‐life care 20,24 . However, a recent survey 26 of 107 Australian HPs identified variability in provision of psychosocial support according to HP discipline, setting and illness phase. Psychosocial support was more commonly provided to PwBT than family members.…”

“…Research on psychosocial support needs of PwBT and their families highlights the need for flexible and timely access to support based on individual needs from diagnosis into long-term survivorship and end-of-life care. 20,24 However, a recent survey 26 Therefore, there is a need for a deeper understanding of psychosocial care pathways and practices specific to PwBT and how these vary across patient characteristics and clinical settings.…”

Family caregiver constructs and outcome measures in neuro-oncology: A systematic review

“…4,5 This is echoed by health professionals, who identified system-level barriers including limited resources, funds, and availability of staff with brain-tumor specific training. 6 Several recent systematic reviews have collated the current evidence-base for supportive interventions for neurooncology caregivers-including those who are bereaved. [7][8][9] A Cochrane systematic review from Boele et al identified eight small-scale trials (range N = 13-56).…”