Rehabilitation needs prior to adjuvant chemotherapy in a rural Swedish population.
Linn Norrgård, Bertil Axelsson
PMID 40903924WHAT IT FOUND
Before starting chemotherapy, many cancer patients and their families reported anxiety, depression, and unmet needs.
Families often had higher unmet needs than patients, especially for information and coordination. Screening both groups early is necessary, as their needs differ and are not always obvious.
Key findings
0125% of patients and 34% of next of kin were identified as possible or probable cases of anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
02Next of kin reported a higher prevalence of unmet needs than patients in 10 out of 12 items where significant differences were found.
03The most frequently reported unmet needs were in the information and psychosocial domains, with moderate prevalence (approximately 10-25%) across participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study did not adjust for confounders such as comorbidities, which can affect well-being and rehabilitation needs. The assessment of well-being used selected items from broader scales, which may not capture all aspects of the concept. There was a discrepancy between anxiety/depression rates found by different screening tools (HADS vs ESAS), suggesting the cut-offs used may have influenced the reported prevalence. The study did not explore physical activity or support from physiotherapists/dietitians, which are relevant to rehabilitation.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Cancer Research Foundation Norrland and the Cancer and Care Foundation Jämtland. The funding institutions had no involvement in the study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients have the highest unmet needs. The study found that next of kin reported higher prevalence of unmet needs than patients in 10 of the 12 items where significant differences were found, particularly in care coordination and financial support.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →