RESUMEN
Patient satisfaction is linked to the amount of time spent with the physician. At the same time, long waiting times in hospitals are a major source of patient dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine whether advance approval of outpatient chemotherapy (CT) via phone call can optimize healthcare delivery without compromising patient satisfaction with care. Between 2013 and 2016, 343 patients with breast/gynecological cancer scheduled to undergo CT on day 8 and/or day 15 of the CT cycle were enrolled in a before-after study conducted in a French comprehensive cancer center. In the control group, 168 patients received a face-to-face consultation with an oncologist on the day of CT for approval of the upcoming CT session. In the intervention group, 175 patients received a phone call from a healthcare provider the day before CT, where assessment of toxicity from the previous CT session was recorded and submitted to an oncologist for approval of the upcoming CT session. At the end of the 6th CT cycle, patient satisfaction was evaluated using EORTC IN-PATSAT32. A total of 233 questionnaires were analyzed (response rate: 77.7%). Satisfaction with care was similar between the two groups. No differences in perceived health status were observed, but self-reported time in hospital was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (p = 0.007). Advance approval of outpatient CT via phone call is feasible and particularly relevant in the current context of immunotherapy development.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the use of non-conventional medicine (NCM) among long-term cancer survivors and its links with healthy behavior. METHODS: This study used data from the VICAN survey, conducted in 2015-2016 on a representative sample of French cancer survivors 5 years after diagnosis. RESULTS: Among the 4174 participants, 21.4% reported using NCM at the time of the survey, including 8.4% who reported uses not associated with cancer. The most frequently cited reasons for using NCM were to improve their physical well-being (83.0%), to strengthen their body (71.2%), to improve their emotional well-being (65.2%), and to relieve the side effects of treatment (50.7%). The NCM users who reported using NCM to cure cancer or prevent relapses (8.5% of the participants) also used NCM for other reasons. They had more often experienced cancer progression, feared a recurrence, and had a poorer quality of life because of sequelae, pain, and fatigue. They also consulted their general practitioners more frequently and had changed their lifestyle by adopting more healthy practices. CONCLUSION: The use of NCM is not an alternative but a complementary means of coping with impaired health. Further research is now required to determine whether the use of NCM reflects a lifestyle change or whether it assists survivors rather to make behavioral changes. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The use of NCM should alert physicians to survivors' impaired quality of life. It might be useful to provide patients with NCM guidelines in order to inform their decision and to prevent unrealistic expectations.