A cross-sectional study of distress: A cancer response.
Hanna Ekman, Alexandra Pettersson, Liselotte Jakobsson and 1 others
PMID 32257273WHAT IT FOUND
High distress was common in working-age cancer patients: 48% during treatment and 29% after treatment.
Financial or insurance problems were linked to high distress, so ask about money worries in cancer care.
Key findings
01High distress was reported by 48% of patients with ongoing cancer treatment and 29% of those who had completed treatment.
02Patients who had finished treatment still reported fatigue (44%), sleep problems (34%), worries (31%), pain (31%), tingling in hands and feet (31%), and memory or concentration problems (30%).
03In the adjusted analysis, insurance or financial problems remained linked to high distress, while ongoing or completed treatment was not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional survey, so it shows distress at one time point and cannot show how distress changes over time or whether financial problems cause distress. The response rate was 44% after one reminder, and the authors note that nonparticipants may have been more ill, hospitalized, moved, or less able to respond, which could bias the results. The study was done at one cancer rehabilitation clinic in southern Sweden and enrolled patients through the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, so it may not apply to all cancer patients. The number analysed differed: 168 people reported distress, 161 reported treatment status, and 144 were analysed in the logistic regression. High distress was defined as a Distress Thermometer score above 3, but the paper notes there is no clear consensus on the threshold for distress.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The supplied text does not state a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the insurance or financial association as proof that addressing money worries will lower distress. This was a cross-sectional self-report survey with a 44% response rate, and it did not test any intervention.