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- Title
An evaluation of social work services in a cancer accommodation facility for rural South Australians.
- Authors
Wiggins, Bonnie; Corsini, Nadia; Ramsey, Imogen; Edwards, Suzanne; Ball, Deb; Cocks, Lesley; Lill, Jo; Sharplin, Greg; Wilson, Carlene
- Abstract
<bold>Purpose: </bold>The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the social work service at an accommodation facility for people receiving cancer treatment away from home with a focus on distress, impact of support, and type of assistance received from the social work service.<bold>Method: </bold>Guests who stayed at the Cancer Council Lodge during June 2015 were mailed a questionnaire collecting information about level of distress upon arrival and departure, impact of support in several areas, and what the service assisted them with specifically.<bold>Results: </bold>The sample comprised 149 guests. Social work contact (n = 19) was associated with greater reduction in distress between arrival and departure compared with no contact (n = 56). Contact with a social worker was associated with greater odds of agreeing or strongly agreeing that guests felt supported in 6 out of 10 areas assessed. These areas were managing the challenges related to cancer, approaching support services, asking questions of healthcare teams, accessing support services, coping with strong emotions, and understanding reactions of family and friends. The most common types of support received were emotional and informational support.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>This study describes some of benefits of providing social work services to people receiving cancer treatment away from home and has implications for provision of social work service resources in similar settings. Further research could investigate the impact of this service in similar settings using randomised controlled trials to better account for potential biases. Research in this area has potential to inform program development and policy.
- Subjects
SOUTH Australia; CANCER patients; CANCER patient care; SOCIAL services; CANCER patients -- Social conditions; MENTAL health of cancer patients; TUMOR treatment; TUMORS &; psychology; CANCER treatment; HEALTH care teams; RURAL population; SOCIAL case work; SOCIAL support; SPECIALTY hospitals; HUMAN services programs; CROSS-sectional method
- Publication
Supportive Care in Cancer, 2018, Vol 26, Issue 1, p147
- ISSN
0941-4355
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1007/s00520-017-3828-z