Prevalence of unmet needs and correlated factors in advanced-stage cancer patients receiving rehabilitation

Although rehabilitation for patients with cancer is currently being provided throughout all phases of the disease, including the advanced stage, much remains unknown about the needs of such patients. The aims of this study were to identify the supportive care and unmet needs of cancer patients receiving rehabilitation interventions and to investigate the factors associated with those unmet needs. A total of 45 patients with cancer receiving rehabilitation interventions participated in this study between June 2013 and December 2015. Measures included the Japanese version of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire (SCNS-SF34), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and various other medico-social factors. The mean age of the cancer patients was 66.6 years, the mean (+/- standard deviation) FIM score was 111.8 (+/- 16.1), and the mean HADS score was 13.9 (+/- 8.2). The patients had a mean of 17.4 (+/- 10.3) unmet needs. The top ten unmet needs related to rehabilitation intervention included seven psychological needs, two health system and information needs, and one physical and daily living need. Multiple regression analysis revealed that psychological distress (HADS aeyen11), marital status, and sex were significantly associated with physical and daily living needs. These results suggest that psychosocial factors are important in understanding the supportive care and unmet needs of cancer patients receiving rehabilitation interventions.