An evaluation of a psychology service for cancer patients

Specialist psychology services for cancer patients aim to assist patients to manage the emotional, social, and existential concerns that can occur with cancer. This project aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of a specialist psychology service for cancer patients via three concurrent studies. The first study profiled the outcomes of referrals for cancer patients, and results demonstrated that most patients referred to the service did attend for an assessment with a psychologist. Attending the service was generally associated with improvement in clients’ functioning, as rated by psychologists. Sex, baseline severity of symptoms, number of sessions attended, diagnostic, and treatment details predicted improvement in psychological symptoms. The second study involved the administration of questionnaires to 26 clients at baseline, and again three months later. Comparison of these questionnaire results showed little change over the three months, however clients were satisfied with the service they received and perceived that they had made progress with presenting concerns.<br><br> The third study aimed to clarify the findings of the second study, by collecting qualitative data via interviews with participants. Feedback from these interviews supported the role of the psychology service in recent improvements in participants’ coping, and highlighted the importance of participants’ expectations of the psychology service in their subsequent experience of the service. Together, results support the clinical utility of the service and provide a better understanding of cancer patients’ needs. This can assist in the planning and development of the psychology service.