title: "I didn't actually know there was such a thing as rehab": survivor, family, and clinician perceptions of rehabilitation following treatment for head and neck cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to obtain first-hand contributions from survivors, family members, and front-line health care professionals regarding the rehabilitation needs for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, to inform development of a rehabilitation intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  The researchers conducted a series of focus groups with the three key stakeholder groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of seven focus groups with 40 participants were conducted, two with survivors, one with family members, and four with health care professionals. All three participant groups reported that motivation based on a strong desire to return to meaningful roles and activities, and rehabilitation resources embedded within the cancer system were important facilitators of functional recovery. Lack of access to rehabilitation services was a concern expressed repeatedly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While generalization is limited by the small sample size, findings include a comprehensive list of rehabilitation needs following treatment for HNC, factors that facilitate and hinder recovery of functional health, and specific suggestions for the development of rehabilitation consult intervention for survivors of HNC.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Research Institute, St. John's Rehab Research Program, 285 Cummer Ave., Room B114a, Toronto, ON, M2M 2G1, Canada. sara.mcewen@utoronto.ca.|University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. sara.mcewen@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McEwen
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.|University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.|Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.|University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunphy
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Research Institute, St. John's Rehab Research Program, 285 Cummer Ave., Room B114a, Toronto, ON, M2M 2G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Jorge Norman
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Rios
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.|University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jolie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ringash
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017741:Survivors
keywords: Head and neck cancer; Qualitative; Rehabilitation