Unmet needs in Iranian cancer patients

Abstract

Background: The identification and management of unmet needs is an essential component of health care for the growing cancer patient population. Information about the prevalence of unmet need can help medical service planning/redesigning. Therefore, this study aimed to identify unmet needs in Iranian patients suffering from cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 650 cancer patients admitted to the major medical centers in Mashhad and Neyshabur by census sampling. The data was gathered by the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SUNS). Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test and Pearson correlation. Results: Most of participants were female (56%, n=263) and Mashhad resident (67.1%, n=436). The most common cancers were colorectal (17.8 %, n=116), stomach (13.6%, n=88) and lung (9.4%, n=62), respectively. The highest unmet needs score belonged to work and financial needs (2.46 ± 0.91), and the least was the emotional domain (1.92±0.90). Among demographic factors, a significant relationship was found between resident places (p<0.001), and cancer type (p<0.0001). Conclusion: This is the first study addressing the unmet needs of cancer patients in Iran. It reveals that cancer patients had a relative high number of unmet needs; this shows the necessity of including these factors in the routine assessment of all cancer patients and planning treatment interventions based on their individual’s need.

Identifying unmet information needs of advanced cancer patients in Iran: An in‐depth qualitative study

“…57 Nevertheless, as in this study and many other studies, 56,58 cancer patients usually use factors such as survival time and cost to choose the appropriate treatment. In the study of Tabriz et al 28 as in our study, financial needs were the most important needs of patients.…”

“…For this purpose, several studies using quantitative and qualitative approaches have identified the information needs of cancer patients. [28][29][30] So far, several cross-sectional survey studies have been conducted, which did not identify most of the unmet needs due to the limited number of questionnaire items. 21,28 As far as we know, the available evidence has not explained the needs of patients with advanced cancer in Iran.…”

“…32 In addition to the above, the increasing incidence of various types of cancer reinforces the need to meet the information needed to control and combat cancer among these patients in Iran. 28 Due to the multidimensionality, complexity and ambiguity in the information needs of these patients, the present qualitative study was conducted by examining the perspectives and experiences of patients with advanced cancer to answer the following questions:…”

Psychometric properties of the persian version of the short-form survivor unmet needs survey (SF-SUNS) among patients with cancer

“…In general, the majority of the unmet supportive care needs have been demonstrated in the health and information as well as psychological and social support domains. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 Also, in women with breast cancer, the highest perceived needs were observed in information and physical and daily life needs. 17 Survivors of colorectal cancer also prioritized work and financial concerns over unmet needs.…”

“… 17 Survivors of colorectal cancer also prioritized work and financial concerns over unmet needs. 14 Also, the highest unmet needs have been reported in young people, comorbidity, female gender, and higher stage of the disease. 14 , 15 , 17 The unmet needs can cause mental and physical disorders, causing excessive use of health services and increased costs of caring for these patients for the health system.…”