Experiences of healthcare professionals with support for mesothelioma patients and their relatives: Identified gaps and improvements for care

Our plain-English summary of Experiences of healthcare professionals with support for mesothelioma patients and their relatives: Identified gaps and improvements for care, by A.R. Frissen, S. Burgers, J.M. van der Zwan, et al (European Journal of Cancer Care, 2021).

The study

• Authors: A.R. Frissen, S. Burgers, J.M. van der Zwan, N. Raijmakers, A. Arber, P. Kunst, J. Aerts, S.F.A. Duijts
• Journal: European Journal of Cancer Care
• Published: 2021;30(6):e13509
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Objective: To assess perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals and other relevant stakeholders regarding psychosocial support and palliative care in mesothelioma patients and their relatives, to identify gaps and to explore potential improvements in current healthcare.

Methods: Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals and other relevant stakeholders. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti.

Results: In total, 16 respondents participated in an interview (69% women; mean age: 51.8 years (SD 12.41; range 28-75)). Four key themes were identified: (1) availability of tailored psychosocial and palliative care, (2) timely integration and organisation of psychosocial support and palliative care, (3) differences in provided support and care between healthcare professionals and hospitals and (4) training of healthcare professionals and stakeholders on psychosocial problems.

Conclusion: Our study showed that psychosocial support and palliative care for patients with mesothelioma could be improved. A more fluent transition between primary and secondary cancer care and early integration of psychosocial support and palliative care is advised. Lastly, more attention is needed for psychosocial and palliative care in the basic medical training of healthcare professionals.

© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In plain English

This qualitative interview study from the Netherlands asked 16 healthcare professionals and other stakeholders, including medical oncologists, a psychologist, a general practitioner and patient organisation representatives, about psychosocial support and palliative care for mesothelioma patients and their relatives. One participant was from abroad. Interviews took place by phone or online because of COVID-19. The study did not measure asbestos exposure or disease rates. Participants said tailored support was limited, patients and carers were often unaware of it, relatives received little attention in hospitals, and information given right after diagnosis was often ill-timed. They said active treatment sometimes continued too long while palliative care came late, that centres of expertise were not representative of all Dutch hospitals, and that training on these topics should be expanded. The authors advised a smoother transition between primary and secondary care and earlier integration of psychosocial support and palliative care. They named as limitations the small number of participants, the inclusion of one foreign expert, and interviews not held face-to-face.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Qualitative study using individual semi-structured interviews, analysed thematically with ATLAS.ti software
• Who was studied: 16 healthcare professionals and other stakeholders, recruited purposively through the researchers' professional network. Occupations included medical oncologists, patient organisation representatives, policy advisors, an environmental physician, a medical social worker, a psychologist, a general practitioner, a spiritual counsellor and others. Most were in the Netherlands; one foreign participant was interviewed in English. Interviews were held by phone or online during the COVID-19 outbreak. Exact dates are not given.
• Exposure: Not studied. The interviews concerned psychosocial support and palliative care for mesothelioma patients, not asbestos exposure.
• Main results:
  • Of the 16 participants, 69% were women. Their mean age was 51.8 years (SD 12.4; range 28 to 75), and their mean work experience was 18.7 years.
  • Four key themes were identified: availability of tailored psychosocial and palliative information and care; timely integration and organisation of psychosocial support and palliative care; differences in support and care between healthcare providers and hospitals; and training of professionals on psychosocial problems.
  • Participants said limited tailored psychosocial support and palliative care were offered. Where it was offered, patients and carers were most of the time unaware of it.
  • Participants said mesothelioma patients were often given the support services meant for (advanced) lung cancer patients.
  • Participants said hospitals paid too little attention to relatives and their need for supportive care.
  • Informing patients about psychosocial support and palliative care directly after diagnosis was frequently considered ill-timed.
  • Professionals reported that active hospital treatment sometimes continued too long, and that a palliative care team was often introduced at a late stage.
  • Participants said the support and care offered in centres of expertise were not representative of all hospitals in the Netherlands. Approaches also differed between individual specialists.
  • Participants said education on psychosocial support and palliative care should be built much more into the training of medical specialists, nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that there were gaps in psychosocial support and palliative care for mesothelioma patients and their relatives. They advised a more fluent transition between primary and secondary cancer care, early integration of psychosocial support and palliative care, and inclusion of these topics in basic medical training.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Including one foreign expert may have produced a more general view rather than a full reflection of the situation in the Netherlands.
  • One interview was conducted in English, which may have caused misinterpretation.
  • The number of participants was small, although the authors believed data saturation was reached.
  • Interviews were held by phone or online rather than face-to-face, which may have limited depth and meant nonverbal behaviour could hardly be included.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Palliative Care.

Related studies

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• Should Canadian health care professionals support the call for a worldwide ban on asbestos? — J. Siemiatycki (2001)
• The psychosocial impact of living with mesothelioma: Experiences and needs of patients and their carers regarding supportive care — A. Prusak, J.M. van der Zwan, et al. (2021)
• Symptom burden in mesothelioma patients admitted to home palliative care — S. Mercadante, D. Degiovanni, et al. (2016)
• Is pleurectomy and decortication superior to palliative care in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma? — I. Zahid, S. Sharif, et al. (2011)
• Extrapleural pneumonectomy or supportive care: treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma? — S. Sharif, I. Zahid, et al. (2011)

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