ArticlePloS one2025
Psycho-oncology practice for cancer patients during the pandemic lockdown in Italy: A qualitative mixed-method study with psychotherapists.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAt the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, psychotherapy practice underwent a drastic reorganization. To enhance knowledge of the challenges healthcare professionals faced during the pandemic, this study explores the experiences and practices of Italian psychotherapists caring for cancer patients during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodThis mixed-method study consists of a qualitative cross-sectional survey followed by open-ended semi-structured interviews with a subsample of survey respondents. The data were then triangulated to depict better the experience of caring for cancer patients from the psychotherapists' perspective.
resultsThe final dataset included 102 valid responses. Subsequently, one male and 21 females participated in the interview-based study. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes and specific subthemes: 1. patient relationships (the impact of restrictions on family ties, the impact of restrictions within the healthcare environment), 2. clinical practice management (the use of technologies for psychological interventions, timing and continuity of care, changes in the number of requests for psychological interventions), 3. emotional aspects (emotions captured in patients, emotions captured in other professionals, the inner world of the psychotherapists), and 4. organizational recognition (investments in psychological support and service coordination, issues related to employment status).
conclusionOur findings provide knowledge of the pandemic's impact on psycho-oncology practice, offering further input for research on innovative tools in psychotherapy and staff support programs and the development of psycho-oncology services that can systematically respond to the multifaceted needs of cancer patients, relatives, and healthcare professionals.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.