Psychosocial Support for Patients With Cancer Waning as COVID-19 Pandemic Continues

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues around the globe, a look into how the crisis is impacting patients with cancer finds that their psychosocial needs are not being met.

To see how disruption in cancer care as a result of the pandemic has impacted the psychosocial support of patients with cancer, researchers from the United Kingdom surveyed 94 psychosocial oncology professionals from across the field, who outlined several concerns.

Throughout the survey, the professionals highlighted the profound impact of the suspension of face-to-face consultations, with a reported drop in the number of patients referred to psychosocial services and with care now being delivered remotely by telephone or video calls, or being suspended entirely in some regions. The change in care delivery “will have unmapped and unknown effects,” noted one respondent.

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