Psycho-oncological care of melanoma patients in certified skin cancer centers

• Published in: Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft 2018-05, Vol.16 (5), p.576-582
• Main Authors: Meiss, Frank, Loquai, Carmen, Weis, Joachim, Giesler, Jürgen M, Reuter, Katrin, Nashan, Dorothée
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Certification; Germany; Humans; Melanoma; Melanoma - psychology; Melanoma - therapy; Oncology; Patients; Personnel; Psycho-Oncology - standards; Skin cancer; Skin Neoplasms - psychology; Skin Neoplasms - therapy
• ISSN: 1610-0379; 1610-0387
• DOI: 10.1111/ddg.13521

The establishment und certification of skin cancer centers (SCCs) in compliance with requirements issued by the German Cancer Society play a key role for quality-assured treatment of skin cancer patients. These requirements also call for the implementation of a qualified psycho-oncology program. When planning the present study, we assumed site-specific differences in the way such programs were implemented at various SCCs. In 2014, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of all SCCs certified at the time (n = 43), in which these institutions were asked to provide information on the structural and process quality of their psycho-oncology programs. Overall, 81.4 % of certified SCCs (n = 35) participated in the survey. Thirty-seven percent of SCCs directly employed personnel trained in psycho-oncology. Nearly all facilities offered information/counseling, crisis intervention, one-on-one discussions, and palliative/end-of-life care as part of their psycho-oncology program. Standardized screening tools were commonly used to evaluate patients' need for psycho-oncological support. Eighty-three percent of psycho-oncology programs primarily focused on inpatients. On average, 25.2 % of melanoma patients received psycho-oncological support. Ninety-seven percent of SCCs stated that the certification requirements had actually improved the psycho-oncological care of their patients. Seventy-one percent of SCCs reported to be satisfied with the implementation of the requirements. The certification of institutions as SCCs has led to the implementation of personnel, structural, and content requirements relating to psycho-oncological care. The majority of SCCs surveyed reported to be satisfied with the quality of care thus achieved.