International Survey of Psychosocial Care for Cancer Survivors in Low-/Middle- and High-Income Countries: Current Practices, Barriers, and Facilitators to Care.

PURPOSE: The number of cancer survivors living with and beyond cancer treatment is rising globally. It is fundamental to understand the extent and type of psychosocial care services offered worldwide. We evaluated models of cancer survivorship care, psychosocial care practices in the post-treatment survivorship phase, and barriers/facilitators to delivery of psychosocial care services, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Survivorship Special Interest Group led a cross-sectional online survey between March and November 2022. Health care professionals and researchers in psycho-oncology were invited through the IPOS global membership, social media, and snowballing. The survey was administered to individuals but included questions related to practices in their country at a national level. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-three respondents from 37 countries participated (40% from LMICs), with a median of 12 years of experience (IQR, 6-20) in the psycho-oncology field. Participants reported that the most common elements of routine survivorship care were related to the prevention/management of recurrences/new cancers (74%), physical late effects (59%), and chronic medical conditions (53%), whereas surveillance/management of psychosocial late effects (27%) and psychosocial/supportive care (25%) were least common. Service availability was more commonly reported in high-income countries (HICs) than LMICs related to reproductive health (29% v 17%), genetic counseling/support (40% v 20%), and identifying/managing distress (39% v 26%) and pain (66% v 48%). Key barriers included providers focusing on treatment not survivorship (57%), medical not psychosocial care (60%), and a lack of allied health providers to deliver psychosocial care (59%). CONCLUSION: The psychosocial needs of people living with cancer are not adequately available and/or provided in post-treatment survivorship even in HICs, because of barriers at patient, provider, and system levels.

Psychosocial care for cancer survivors: A global review of national cancer control plans.

OBJECTIVE: National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) are high-level policy documents that prioritise actions to be taken to improve cancer control activities. As the number of cancer survivors grows globally, there is an urgent need to assess whether and how psychosocial care across the cancer care continuum is included in NCCPs. This review aimed to ascertain the extent to which NCCPs referenced psycho-oncology care for cancer survivors in the post-treatment phase. METHODS: NCCPs were obtained from the International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP) portal (in November 2021) and reviewed in two phases. In Phase 1, all available NCCPs were screened to determine whether they mentioned psycho-oncology or survivorship. In Phase 2, reviewers extracted data from the NCCPs identified in Phase 1 on the degree that each plan articulated objectives/goals to improve psychosocial care in the post-treatment survivorship phase. RESULTS: We screened 237 NCCPs. Of these, initial potential reference to psycho-oncology and survivorship content were identified in 97 plans (41%). In Phase 1, 57/97 (59%) had reference to psycho-oncology or survivorship content within defined criteria. In Phase 2, 27/97 (28%) had little mention of psycho-oncology specifically in survivorship, 47/97 (48%) had some (general or brief) mention, and the remaining 23/97 (24%) had substantial content/specific sections and clearly articulated goals and/or objectives. Common goals for improving psychosocial care in the post-treatment period included building capacity of healthcare professionals, implementing rehabilitation models, and increasing the utilisation of community services. CONCLUSIONS: Most NCCPs did not reference psycho-oncology and only one-quarter contained clear objectives specifically in the post-treatment survivorship phase.

Utilidad de la evaluación por otorrinolaringología en atención primaria de salud: Evaluación piloto / Usefulness of otolaryngology evaluation in primary health care: Pilot evaluation

Introducción: En Atención Primaria de Salud (APS), las consultas por causas otorrinolaringológicas alcanzan hasta el 40%-50%. De éstos, muchos son enviados para evaluación al nivel secundario de salud. Objetivo: Evaluar la utilidad de una atención de otorrinolaringología en APS para tamizar el número de interconsultas al especialista. Explorar estrategias que permitan replicar la experiencia. Material y método: Se consideran las consultas de otorrinolaringología realizadas en dos escenarios diferentes, donde se evaluaron pacientes que se encontraban a la espera de atención formal por el nivel secundario. Resultados: Se evaluaron 201 pacientes. El 60,9% fueron de sexo femenino y el 39,1% masculino. La mediana de tiempo de espera para la derivación fue de 20 meses, con un rango intercuartil de 8-29 meses. El tiempo máximo de espera de interconsulta fue de 6 años (73 meses). Del total de interconsultas, 71,7% fueron dadas de alta con tratamiento según la causa, mientras que sólo en el restante 28,3% de las interconsultas se consideró necesario mantener la interconsulta al nivel secundario. Conclusión: Los resultados de la presente evaluación permiten plantear la utilidad de una evaluación otorrinolaringológica en APS. Esto permitiría reducir el flujo de derivaciones y listas de espera hacia el sector secundario, descongestionar el sistema, priorizar las derivaciones más pertinentes, crear canales de comunicación expeditos entre los niveles de atención, contribuir a la capacitación continua en ambos equipos y niveles.

Introduction: In primary health care, medical appointments for otorhinolaryngological causes reach up to 40%-50%. Of these cases, many are referred for the evaluation of the tertiary level of health. Aim: Assess the usefulness of an otorhinolaryngology evaluation at the primary health care level to screen the number of referrals to specialist. Explore strategies to replicate the experience. Material and method: Attention by otorhinolaryngologist is considered in two different scenarios, where patients who were waiting for formal care by the secondary level were evaluated. Results: 201 patients were evaluated. 60.9% of the patients were females and 39.1% were males. The median waiting time for referral was 20 months, with an interquartile range of 8 - 29 months. The maximum waiting time for consultation was 6 years (73 months). Of the total number of consultations, 71.7% were discharged with treatment according to the cause, while only the remaining 28.3% of the consultations were considered necessary to maintain consultation at the tertiary level. Conclusion: The results of this evaluation allow us to propose the usefulness of an otorhinolaryngological evaluation in primary health care. This would reduce the flow of referrals and waiting lists to the secondary sector, decongest the system, prioritize the most relevant referrals, create expedited channels of communication between levels of care, contribute to continuous training in both teams and levels.

Association between adolescent suicide and sociodemographic factors in Chile: cross-sectional ecological study.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent suicide rates (ASR) are a matter of concern worldwide. Causes of this trend are not understood and could correspond to socioeconomic factors such as inequality. AIM: To investigate sociodemographic variables related to ASR, particularly the potential association with indicators of socioeconomic inequality. METHOD: Cross-sectional ecological study analyzing data from 29 health districts with univariate and multivariable multilevel Poisson models. RESULTS: ASR were higher in male adolescents and at increasing age. No association was found between ASR and inequality (Gini coefficient and 20/20 ratio). Analysis revealed that living in a single-parent family is associated with ASR. CONCLUSIONS: The usual demographic patterns of adolescent suicide apply in Chile. An emerging variable of interest is single-parent family. No cross-sectional association between social inequality and ASR was found based on conflicting evidence. These results should be explored in future prospective population studies to further understand associated social factors.

Estudio piloto sobre uso de internet en adolescentes de Santiago: resumen / Pilot study about internet use in adolescent of santiago: summary

A partir del año 2006, el equipo docente de la unidad de psiquiatría infanto juvenil de la Clínica psiquiátrica Universitaria de la Universidad de Chile (PCUCh) introduce en el programa de formación de los especialistas el desarrollo de un trabajo de investigación a realizarse en el periodo de los tres años de especialización, con el fin de realizar investigación clínica y aportar en el avance del entendimiento de la salud mental de los niños y adolescentes. El presente artículo muestra un marco teórico sobre la magnitud del problema y parte de los avances del trabajo de investigación realizado durante la formación. El objetivo es evaluar y caracterizar, a través de una muestra que representa de forma parcial a jóvenes pertenecientes a establecimientos educacionales de la Región Metropolitana, la penetración del uso de Internet, el perfil de su uso y la presencia de uso problemático a través de la utilización de la escala de adicción a Internet de Young. Este trabajo pretende dar inicio a una nueva área de investigación en la población chilena, ya que si bien hay estudios internacionales sobre el uso de Internet, en Chile aún no hay ninguna investigación que evalúe cómo afecta este recurso tecnológico en los adolescentes de nuestra población.

In year 2006 an academic team from the child-youth Psychiatric Unit - Psychiatric Clinic of the Universidad de Chile (PCUCh) begins an investigation in the Specialties Training Program, in order to be finished by the end of the three years of specialization. The objectives of this studies were both doing clinic research and contributing to the understanding of children and young people’s mental health. This article shows the theoretical framework concerning this issue and is a part of the work done during those years. The aim of the research is to assess and characterize the internet penetration, user profile and the presence of troubling use, measuring this last variable through Young’s Internet Addiction Scale. With a sample that partially represents young people from Region Metropolitan, the major district of Chile’s capital. This article looks forward to start a new researching topic in Chilean people, due to the fact that, even though there is some international evidence, Chilean researchers have not raise the issue before.