Attitudes, Knowledge and Clinical Practice of Health Professionals towards Psychological Disorders in Cancer Patients: An Observational Study
Maria Chiara Carriero,
Antonio Leo,
Alessia Lezzi,
Roberto Lupo,
Luana Conte,
Annarita Fanizzi,
Raffaella Massafra,
Elsa Vitale,
Antonio Carriero
Affiliations
Maria Chiara Carriero
Independent Researcher, 20100 Milano, Italy
Antonio Leo
“Santa Chiara” Institute, Via Campania, 1, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Alessia Lezzi
ANT Italia ONLUS Foundation (National Cancer Association), 73100 Lecce, Italy
Roberto Lupo
“San Giuseppe da Copertino” Hospital, ASL (Local Health Authority), 73100 Lecce, Italy
Luana Conte
Laboratory of Biomedical Physics and Environment, Department of Mathematics and Physics “E. De Giorgi”, University of Salento, Via Antonio Miglietta, 5, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Annarita Fanizzi
Laboratorio di Biostatistica e Bioinformatica, IRCCS Istituto Tumori “Giovanni Paolo II”, Viale Orazio Flacco 65, 70124 Bari, Italy
Raffaella Massafra
Laboratorio di Biostatistica e Bioinformatica, IRCCS Istituto Tumori “Giovanni Paolo II”, Viale Orazio Flacco 65, 70124 Bari, Italy
Background: The suffering associated with a cancer diagnosis can find different channels to express itself: sleep disorders, psychiatric disorders, sexuality. These are not always analyzed by health professionals, but they have an impact on the patient’s quality of life and on the outcome of the disease. Methods: An observational study was conducted in order to investigate attitudes, knowledge and clinical practice towards psychological symptoms in cancer patients. Results: A total of 132 clinicians from all Italian regions responded. In total, 99.2% (n = 131) considered the figure of the psychologist useful in the oncology field and recommended him/her in clinical practice (n = 115; 87.7%), especially in the terminal phase of the illness (58.6%; n = 99). Despite the importance given to the figure of the psychologist, psychiatric disorders are not diagnosed. Only 20.0% (n = 26) identified depressive disorder as accurate and only 33.9% (n = 43) identified demoralization syndrome as accurate. Conclusions: Results prove the need for training on psychological disorders in oncology and the emotional repercussions of cancer illness.
