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Providing Psychosocial Distress Screening, Coping Resources, and Self-care to Newly Diagnosed Cancer Survivors in a Canadian Small Town Setting

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Treating Vulnerable Populations of Cancer Survivors: A Biopsychosocial Approach

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Abstract

This chapter presents a unique method of screening for distress among newly diagnosed cancer patients in a Canadian out patient oncology clinic setting. We developed, implemented, and evaluated a program that was presented to patients as soon as possible after diagnosis. The project met the objectives of screening and assessing newly diagnosed cancer patients for distress, linking them to appropriate resources, communicating that information to the oncology team in a timely manner, and providing information on coping strategies and self-assessment of distress to patients and accompanying family members. The results from 60 patients who we were able to reach for follow-up indicated strong support for the program. Distress levels as measured by the distress thermometer fell from an average of 4.2 at baseline to 2.6 after 2 months, and the number of patients with the highest levels of distress (above 7) also fell from 12 % to zero. Thirty-eight percent continued to monitor their levels at home and utilized appropriate resources as needed. We conclude with a discussion of the issues around making a change in clinical practice.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to gratefully acknowledge her colleague, Sandra Hardy, MSW who partnered with her in the development and implementation of the program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Linda J. Edgar

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  1. Linda J. Edgar
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Correspondence to Linda J. Edgar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Tanya R. Fitzpatrick

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Edgar, L.J. (2016). Providing Psychosocial Distress Screening, Coping Resources, and Self-care to Newly Diagnosed Cancer Survivors in a Canadian Small Town Setting. In: Fitzpatrick, T. (eds) Treating Vulnerable Populations of Cancer Survivors: A Biopsychosocial Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32364-0_2

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