title: Cancer rehabilitation indicators for Europe.
abstract: Little is known of cancer rehabilitation needs in Europe. EUROCHIP-3 organised a group of experts to propose a list of population-based indicators used for describing cancer rehabilitation across Europe. The aim of this study is to present and discuss these indicators. A EUROCHIP-3 expert panel reached agreement on two types of indicators. (a) Cancer prevalence indicators. These were proposed as a means of characterising the burden of cancer rehabilitation needs by time from diagnosis and patient health status. These indicators can be estimated from cancer registry data or by collecting data on follow-up and treatments for samples of cases archived in cancer registries. (b) Indicators of rehabilitation success. These include: return to work, quality of life, and satisfaction of specific rehabilitation needs. Studies can be performed to estimate these indicators in individual countries, but to obtain comparable data across European countries it will be necessary to administer a questionnaire to randomly selected samples of patients from population-based cancer registry databases. However, three factors complicate questionnaire studies: patients may not be aware that they have cancer; incomplete participation in surveys could lead to bias; and national confidentiality laws in some cases prohibit cancer registries from approaching patients. Although these studies are expensive and difficult to perform, but as the number of cancer survivors increases, it is important to document their needs in order to provide information on cancer control.
authors.affiliation: Descriptive Studies and Health Planning Unit, Fondazione IRCCS "Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori", via Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy. lifetable@istitutotumori.mi.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baili
authors.forename: Josette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoekstra-Weebers
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Hoof
authors.forename: Hans Helge
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Bartsch
authors.forename: Luzia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Travado
authors.forename: Miklos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garami
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Salvo
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Micheli
authors.forename: Piret
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veerus
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000592:standards; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D015995:Prevalence; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data