Analyse des Angebotes zur psychosozialen Versorgung von stationär behandelten Krebspatienten in der Region Aachen

Cancer is commonly considered as a life-threatening illness. This study investigates what kind of psychosocial care is offered to hospitalized cancer patients in the region of Aachen. Therefore a questionnaire was sent to all inpatient departments at hospitals in the cities of Aachen, Düren and Heinsberg (n = 112). The questionnaire was answered by 45 departments of which 38 said they regularly treated cancer patients. The findings of the questionnaire representing the present situation in the region of Aachen are discussed in comparison to the opinion of experts in psychooncology representing an ideal form of psychosocial care (see Koch et al. 1998)1. About 25% of the departments do not offer professional psychosocial care although experts agree that coping with the demands of a life-threatening illness requires professional support in most cases. In the majority of departments social workers care for the cancer patients, in about 15% psychologists or psychotherapists look after them and in about 15% of the departments a team of two or three of the above-mentioned groups does the psychosocial work. In contrast to this experts demand an interdisciplinary team of social workers, psychologists and psychotherapists caring for the patients. Experts consider talking with relatives, advice on social or job problems, caring for dying patients, intervention in acute crisis, individual psychological advice, training methods to cope with pain and relaxation exercises as very important forms of psychosocial intervention. In the region of Aachen three out of four departments offer less than half of these above-mentioned forms of intervention. Training methods to cope with pain are not offered, relaxation exercises are offered in only 9% of all departments. This is a great lack considering that 20 to 50% of cancer patients suffer from pain in an early and 55 to 95% in a terminal stage of their illness. Experts demand supervision and further training for health professionals because of the work-related distress. In the region of Aachen about 25% of the departments offer further training concerning psychosocial subjects and about 10% offer supervision for their doctors and nurses. That means that in the majority of departments doctors and nurses have to cope with the work-related distress on their own. This study shows that present psychosocial care for hospitalized cancer patients in the region of Aachen does not meet the requirements defined by experts in psychooncology. Additional staff (i.e. psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers) is needed to make an adequate psychosocial care available for cancer patients in all departments in the region of Aachen and to improve the job situation for doctors and nurses and their capability of caring for cancer patients. 1. Koch, U., Weis, J., Matthey, K. & Mehnert, A. (1998). Bedarf an psychoonkologischer Betreuung aus Sicht der Experten – Ergebnisse einer Delphi-Befragung. In: U. Koch & J. Weis (Eds.), Krankheitsbewältigung bei Krebs und Möglichkeiten der Unterstützung, Schattauer, Stuttgart, pp. 245-252.

Grantor dc:publisher

Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University

Year dc:date

2002

Author dc:creator

• Eyer, Katrin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Neuser, Jürgen

• info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/610
• Medizin

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Language dc:language

ger

Identifier

https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/search?p=id:%22RWTH-CONV-121078%22

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:publications.rwth-aachen.de:59277