title: Interpreting differences in patterns of supportive care needs between patients with breast cancer and patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding cancer patients' supportive care needs can help optimize health-care systems and inform services development. We therefore examined the prevalence of supportive care needs in Chinese breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients to identify prevalence and correlates of unmet needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed supportive care needs (Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form), psychological distress (the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), symptom distress (The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form), and satisfaction with care (Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire) among 210 Chinese BC (97) or CRC (104) outpatient clinic attendees.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Breast cancer patients (89.7%) reported more unmet needs (χ(2)  = 4.409, p = 0.027), but both CRC and BC samples ranked unmet needs prevalence similarly, with health system and information needs reported as the most common. Younger patients reported higher health system and information and sexuality needs. After multivariate adjustment, the strength of unmet needs did not differ by cancer type. Unmet psychological, physical and daily living, and sexuality needs were positively associated with greater symptom distress. Greater health system information needs were associated with high global distress and low depression scores, whereas greater psychological needs were associated with higher anxiety scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hong Kong Chinese BC and CRC patients strongly prioritized needs related to health systems and information provision. Symptoms and psychological distress were associated with unmet needs, reflecting a service shortfall in symptom management. Improving care provision by optimizing communication and clinic organization can better prepare cancer patients for their rehabilitation and improve symptom control.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Psycho-oncology Research and Training, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Wylie W Y
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wendy W T
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Angel H Y
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Au
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Wai Lun
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Jensen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Ava
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kwong
authors.forename: Dacita
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Suen
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: Afaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Girgis
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fielding
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires