Communication and information needs of older people with cancer: a systematic review.

Lai, Meiya; Quinn, Barry

Why you should read this article: • To enhance your awareness of the communication and information needs of older people with cancer • To recognise that many older people with cancer want to be involved in decision-making about treatment • To acknowledge the benefits of a clinical nurse specialist acting as the main contact within the team. Older people with cancer often have a varying range of specific but fluctuating physical, psychological, emotional, social, economic and spiritual needs. To be able to participate in decision-making, they need optimal communication with healthcare professionals and accurate information from them. A systematic review of the literature explored the communication and information needs of older people with cancer. It appeared that these needs are not always addressed and that older people’s priorities are not always recognised. Barriers to addressing older people’s information and communication needs included personality traits and age-related functional decline, the effects of cancer on the person, a lack of time on the part of healthcare professionals and the absence of a main contact within the healthcare team. To meet the communication and information needs of older people with cancer it is crucial to adopt a person-centred approach.

MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems; HEALTH services accessibility; NURSE-patient relationships; MEDICAL personnel; CINAHL database; MEDICAL care; PRESUMPTIONS (Law); CANCER patients; DECISION making; EMOTIONS; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; INFORMATION needs; SYSTEMATIC reviews; MEDLINE; NURSE practitioners; COMMUNICATION; SPIRITUALITY; TUMORS; MEDICAL care for older people; PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems; PSYCHOSOCIAL factors; HEALTH care teams; OLD age

Cancer Nursing Practice, 2024, Vol 23, Issue 6, p27

1475-4266

Academic Journal

10.7748/cnp.2023.e1848