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Comparison of perceptions of unmet supportive care needs between cancer patients and their oncologists

Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The prevalence of cancer in the Middle East is increasing and predicted to nearly double by 2030. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), cancer ranks as the third leading cause of death. Yet, there are limited data describing the needs of cancer patients in the region. The purpose of this study is to compare cancer patients’ reports of unmet supportive care needs with the perceptions of their oncologists.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of cancer patients and their oncologists, using an Arabic translation of the short form of the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34), was conducted at a major oncology center in the UAE between December 2014 and March 2017. Descriptive statistics and McNemar test were calculated to determine differences in unmet need responses between oncologists and patients.

Results

Nine physicians (100%) and 210 of 268 (78.3%) patients completed the questionnaire. Oncologists accurately assessed the level of unmet physical needs of their patients, but significantly underestimated unmet psychological supportive care needs of the patients. Male patients expressed significantly lower (p < 0.05) physical and psychological unmet needs, compared to female patients.

Conclusion

Our findings reveal a general concordance between physician and patient perspectives of unmet supportive care needs. This is reassuring as physician perceptions impact the care patients receive. We present multifaceted supportive care strategies for oncology patients in the region.

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Data availability

The data related to the study is stored in the central data repository of the institution and shall be available for the journal upon request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Ms. Kartyayani P Satish (Al Daar Al Ain International School, Al Ain) for literature collection support for the study.

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The study was not supported by any funding sources.

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Correspondence to Satish Chandrasekhar Nair.

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The study was approved by the regional research ethics committee (AAMDHREC 12/55).

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Nair, S.C., Hassen, W.A., Sreedharan, J. et al. Comparison of perceptions of unmet supportive care needs between cancer patients and their oncologists. Support Care Cancer 27, 4229–4235 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04705-4

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