Assessing melanoma patients' satisfaction with treatment and clinical care: preliminary findings from a novel regional pilot program.

Introduction: The incidence of newly diagnosed melanoma patients has significantly increased over the past few decades. In recent years, in addition to developing new diagnostic and preventive strategies, cancer centres have prioritized the establishment of highly specialised melanoma units (MUs), offering the implementation of an adequate follow-up plan, along with the evaluation of overall patient satisfaction and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient satisfaction of treatment and clinical care provided in multidisciplinary MUs. Material and methods: The study was based on the analysis of results from a survey administered to all melanoma patients treated at the Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology Centre (LSOPHC) in Wroclaw. The questionnaire was a part of a pilot program for melanoma patients in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship (inhabited by approximately 2.9 million people). Results: A total of 432 patients diagnosed with melanoma between May 2020 and February 2023 participated in the study. The study successfully gathered results concerning four key aspects outlined in the developed questionnaire: 1) infrastructure and organisation of treatment, 2) quality of medical care, 3) scope of information provided to patients, and 4) overall satisfaction with the pilot program. Conclusions: Detailed questions in the survey yielded specific data highlighting both strengths and weaknesses of care provided to patients enrolled in the pilot program. The results of the patient satisfaction assessment may offer valuable insights for other MUs.