The impact of supportive nursing care on the needs of men with prostate cancer: a study across seven European countries.
BACKGROUND
Prostate cancer is for many men a chronic disease with a long life expectancy after treatment. The impact of prostate cancer therapy on men has been well defined, however, explanation of the consequences of cancer treatment has not been modelled against the wider variables of long-term health-care provision. The aim of this study was to explore the parameters of unmet supportive care needs in men with prostate cancer in relation to the experience of nursing care.


METHODS
A survey was conducted among a volunteer sample of 1001 men with prostate cancer living in seven European countries.


RESULTS
At the time of the survey, 81% of the men had some unmet supportive care needs including psychological, sexual and health system and information needs. Logistic regression indicated that lack of post-treatment nursing care significantly predicted unmet need. Critically, men's contact with nurses and/or receipt of advice and support from nurses, for several different aspects of nursing care significantly had an impact on men's outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Unmet need is related not only to disease and treatment factors but is also associated with the supportive care men received. Imperative to improving men's treatment outcomes is to also consider the access to nursing and the components of supportive care provided, especially after therapy.
School of Health & Social Care, University of Surrey, Stag Hill, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7TE, UK.
J
J
Cockle-Hearne
F
F
Charnay-Sonnek
L
L
Denis
H E
HE
Fairbanks
D
D
Kelly
S
S
Kav
K
K
Leonard
E
E
van Muilekom
P
P
Fernandez-Ortega
B T
BT
Jensen
S
S
Faithfull
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003625:Data Collection; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D064946:Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires