Abstract
Background and purpose
Supportive care for people living with a diagnosis of lung cancer is paramount. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the supportive care needs of people with lung cancer, and explore trends and gaps in the assessment of these needs emerging from this literature.
Methods
Through use of a wide range “free text” terms, a systematic search of five electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO and BNI) was carried out for the period between January 2000 and September 2012. Two validated scoring systems were used to appraise eligible studies for methodological quality and level of evidence.
Results
Based on pre-specified selection criteria, 59 articles (25 of quantitative methodology; 34 of qualitative methodology) reporting on 53 studies were retrieved and considered for further analysis. Overall, studies were of acceptable methodological quality. A wide spectrum of health care needs was evident among people with lung cancer. These needs were classified into nine domains: physical; daily living; psychological/emotional; spiritual/existential; informational; practical; patient–clinician communication; social and family-related; and cognitive. Daily living, practical, and cognitive needs were given less attention in this literature.
Conclusions
People with lung cancer have a complex array of supportive care needs that impact on various life aspects. Yet, our knowledge still remains fragmentary. Embarking on new longitudinal exploratory studies and well-designed clinical trials is therefore strongly encouraged. The use of patient reported outcome measures as a clinical intervention tool may be viewed as a means of identifying and managing unmet needs in this patient population.
Supportive care for people living with a diagnosis of lung cancer is paramount. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the supportive care needs of people with lung cancer, and explore trends and gaps in the assessment of these needs emerging from this literature.
Methods
Through use of a wide range “free text” terms, a systematic search of five electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO and BNI) was carried out for the period between January 2000 and September 2012. Two validated scoring systems were used to appraise eligible studies for methodological quality and level of evidence.
Results
Based on pre-specified selection criteria, 59 articles (25 of quantitative methodology; 34 of qualitative methodology) reporting on 53 studies were retrieved and considered for further analysis. Overall, studies were of acceptable methodological quality. A wide spectrum of health care needs was evident among people with lung cancer. These needs were classified into nine domains: physical; daily living; psychological/emotional; spiritual/existential; informational; practical; patient–clinician communication; social and family-related; and cognitive. Daily living, practical, and cognitive needs were given less attention in this literature.
Conclusions
People with lung cancer have a complex array of supportive care needs that impact on various life aspects. Yet, our knowledge still remains fragmentary. Embarking on new longitudinal exploratory studies and well-designed clinical trials is therefore strongly encouraged. The use of patient reported outcome measures as a clinical intervention tool may be viewed as a means of identifying and managing unmet needs in this patient population.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 449-464 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | European Journal of Oncology Nursing |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2013 |
Keywords
- Supportive care needs
- Lung cancer
- Supportive care
- Health care needs
- Systematic review
- Patient reported outcome measures
- Needs assessment
