Unmet Supportive Care Needs of Women with Gynecological Cancer in Manipur, North East India

Abstract

Background; Gynecological cancer significantly affects femininity, sexuality, fertility, physical and psychosocial relationships leading to impaired quality of life. There is a dearth of literature that identifies the unmet psychosocial supportive care needs of gynecological cancer patients in North East, India especially in Manipur. The study aims to explore the unmet supportive care needs of women with gynecological cancers and to determine correlates with demographic variables. Methodology: A cross-sectional study using the “Supportive Care Needs Survey questionnaire (SCNS SF-34) in conjunction with demographic data was done on 72 participants recruited through purposive sampling. Ethical clearance was obtained. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 26. Results: Physical and daily living were the domains with the highest unmet supportive needs. The top five items with highest unmet needs were lack of energy, feelings of sadness, not being able to do things they used to do, pain, feeling unwell and feeling depressed. Age, education, occupation, income, type of cancer, and comorbidities showed a significant difference in sexual and psychological unmet needs (p=<0.05). Conclusion: Gynecological cancer patients reveal substantial unmet psychosocial needs, emphasizing the importance of early screening for targeted interventions that can enhance their quality of life.

Keywords

• gynaecological cancer
• psychosocial needs
• supportive care
• unmet needs
• Cancer
• perceived needs