A survey of cancer patients’ unmet information and coordination needs in handovers – a cross-sectional study

BMC Research Notes

Jens Søndergaard³  Pia Veldt Larsen³  Christian Nielsen Wulff¹  Bettina Haastrup Grøne²  Eva Gad Søndergaard² 

[1] Research Unit for General Practice, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 2, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark;Unit for Health Promotion Research in Esbjerg, University of Southern Denmark, Niels Bohrs Vej 9-10, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark;Research Unit of General Practice in Odense, University of Southern Denmark, J.B Winsløws Vej 9A, 5000 Odense C, Denmark

关键词: Handovers;    Coordination;    Information;    Need;    Cancer;   

Others  :  1141547
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-0500-6-378

 received in 2012-10-25, accepted in 2013-09-03,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

The care responsibilities for cancer patients are frequently handed over from one healthcare professional to another. These handovers are known to pose a threat to the safety of patients and the efficiency of the healthcare system. Little is known about specific needs of cancer patients in handovers. The objectives of this study were to examine cancer patients’ unmet needs for information and coordination in handovers and to analyse the association between patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics and unmet information and coordination needs.

Methods

Cancer patients treated in an oncology and a surgery outpatient setting completed a questionnaire developed to examine unmet information and coordination needs of cancer patients in handovers. Associations between unmet needs and comorbidity, treatment type, time since diagnosis, gender, age, and education in various handover situations were analysed.

Results

Of 250 eligible patients 131 participated (response rate of 52%). Overall, 18% of patients had unmet coordination needs and 18% had unmet information needs.

Hospital discharge was the type of handover where patients most frequently reported unmet information needs (18%). Unmet coordination needs were most frequently reported in handovers between different hospitals (19%) and in handovers between hospital and general practice (18%). In general, age and education were statistically significantly associated with reporting unmet needs, where patients younger than 60 years and patients with a higher education were more likely to express unmet needs.

Conclusions

The findings indicate room for improvements regarding exchange of information and coordination between healthcare professionals, and between healthcare professionals and patients.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Søndergaard et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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