gms | German Medical Science

Objective: To assess unmet needs of glioma patients and to evaluate received and requested psychosocial support by the patient’s perspective questionnaire (PPQ) a patient reported outcome measure, applied for the first time in glioma patients.

Methods: We used a multicentre prospective design. Neuro-oncological patients were assessed consecutively within their outpatient visits using the self-administered PPQ. The first 9 items assess psychosocial distress by 5 step Likert-scales and support requested by the patient. The next 10 items assess provided support and its subjective benefit. Last 7 items record support requested currently by the patients (caregivers, relatives, physician etc.). We performed descriptive statistics.

Results: We included 232 patients. 82% were high-grade gliomas. M:f ratio was1.25:1. Mean age was 52 years (range 20-87yrs). We observed that 38% (87) of patients felt depressed. 44% (103) showed signs of anxiety. 39% (91) reported to feel tense/nervous. 57% (133) were emotionally distressed by the disease at a higher level. 77% (180) of patients felt sufficiently supported. But only 59% (138) reported to be thoroughly informed about the disease and therapy options. Patients’ reported support was highest among family (75%) and physicians (68%). Both were classified as helpful in 87%. Only 13% were supported by a psychologist and 5% by a dietitian. Desired support was highest from physicians (59%), psychologists (19%) and dietitians (15%).

Conclusion: Glioma patients report a high level of psychological distress and need for support. Physicians play a crucial role in these patients’ care. While the majority of them seems sufficiently supported, it is our task to detect the remaining almost 20% that are not. The PPQ screening instrument allows to evaluating the psychosocial support perceived by the patients, to detect supportive care needs and provide this information to the caregiver at a glance.