Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38471789›Full record

ArticleBMJ supportive & palliative care2025

Cancer centre information and support services and patient needs: participatory action research study.

Helen P A Driessen, Jan J V Busschbach, Erna J Elfrink, Carin C D van der Rijt, Gabriël M R M Paardekooper, Corine J den Hollander, Leonieke W Kranenburg

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ supportive & palliative care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 34% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Helen P A DriessenDepartment of Psychiatry, Section of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands h.driessen@erasmusmc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8521-5980
Jan J V BusschbachDepartment of Psychiatry, Section of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Erna J ElfrinkErasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus Medical center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Carin C D van der RijtDepartment of Medical Oncology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Gabriël M R M PaardekooperDepartment of Radiotherapy, Isala Oncology Center, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
Corine J den HollanderInstitutions Psychosocial Oncology (IPSO)-center IntermeZZo, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
Leonieke W KranenburgDepartment of Psychiatry, Section of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Erasmus MC · NLErasmus MC Cancer Institute · NLIsala · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesClear information and supportive care are necessary for oncology patients and their relatives to manage the disease (trajectory). Centres for information and support aim to address their needs by offering informal and non-medical formal services. This study evaluated whether the centres' services offered meet the needs of its visitors, and whether there is interest for these among oncology patients treated at affiliated hospitals.

methodsIn this participatory action research, interviews were conducted among visitors of two centres (Patient Information Center Oncology (PATIO) and IntermeZZo) and among patients treated at the affiliated hospitals. Visitors were interviewed to share their experiences regarding the centres' services offered. Patients from the hospitals were interviewed about their interest in such support. Data were collected during three different periods and adjustments were made to the centres' services between measurements.

results111 (PATIO) and 123 visitors (IntermeZZo) were interviewed, and 189 and 149 patients at the respective hospitals. Reasons to visit PATIO/IntermeZZo were to relax (93.1%), seek professional advice (54.6%) and meet peers (36.3%). Visitors indicated that the visits met their needs (99.1%), citing the accessible support and the expertise in oncology. 20% of patients interviewed at the hospitals expressed interest in visiting PATIO/IntermeZZo. The majority of patients (89.6%) considered these centres an integral part of their treatment process. These findings were stable over time.

conclusionsPatients and their relatives highly value the services of hospital-affiliated centres for information and support. Future research should address how such centres best be integrated in the Dutch healthcare system.

Indexed as

Cancer Care FacilitiesHealth Services Needs and DemandNeoplasmsSocial SupportAdultAgedFemaleHealth Services ResearchHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeeds AssessmentCancerFamily managementPsychological careQuality of lifeSocial careSupportive care

Identifiers

PMID38471789
PMCPMC12128760
OpenAlexW4392699910

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.