title: Psycho-oncological care in certified cancer centres--a nationwide analysis in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over the last few years, a nationwide voluntary certification system for cancer centres has been established in Germany. To qualify for certification, cancer centres must provide psycho-oncological care to every patient who needs it. The aim of this study was to find out how many patients have been treated by a psycho-oncologist in the certified centres.
  
  
  METHODS
  All cancer centres in Germany that were re-certified in 2010 provided data documenting how many patients with primary cancer received at least 30 min of psycho-oncological consultation in 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from n = 456 certified cancer centres were available. In the centres, a total of 36,165 patients were seen by a psycho-oncologist for at least 30 min, representing 37.3% of all patients in the centres. The highest percentage of patients who received psycho-oncological care was found in breast cancer centres (66.7%), and the lowest in prostate cancer centres (6.8%). Half of the patients (50.0%) in gynaecological cancer centres, 37.7% in colon cancer centres and 25.4% in lung cancer centres received psycho-oncological care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with non-certified centres, the proportion of patients receiving psycho-oncological care in certified cancer centres has increased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Care Research, University of Mainz, Germany. susanne.singer@unimedizin-mainz.de
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dieng
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wesselmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities / Q000592:standards*; D002568:Certification; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care