Hospital to get cancer distress care service

A DISTRESS management system for cancer patients is being launched by Cork University Hospital.

The innovative service will allow for more effective recognition and management of distress as an in integral part of good cancer care.

Almost 2,400 people are diagnosed with cancer in Cork every year and Cork University Hospital is the largest hospital and the central hub for cancer care in the Southern Health Board area.

This week, the Irish Cancer Society presented a cheque for €109,000 to consultant liaison psychiatrist Dr Eugene Cassidy to establish the service.

Dr Cassidy said the consequences of distress were significant for cancer patients.

“Cancer patients who are distressed are less likely to adhere to treatment, have longer hospital stays and poorer quality of life,” he said.

Dr Cassidy said their initial task would be to establish an educational programme for front-line oncology staff at the hospital that would improve the detection of distress in patients with cancer.

The plan is to develop a reliable screening process along with care protocols for patients according to the level and nature of their distress. Irish Cancer Society chief executive John McCormack said the grant towards the development of the service was a welcome departure for the society and demonstrated their commitment to the holistic and comprehensive care of the patient. He said the society was anxious that all cancer treatment centres would have a psycho-oncology service.

Dr Cassidy said all patients with cancer dealt with issues that cause some level of distress at some stage and for many the distress experienced was significant.

The danger was that those with significant or severe distress might develop mental disorders that could be life threatening in themselves.

Up to now, psychosocial support and care of patients with cancer has been provided by the hospital’s oncology medical and nursing staff along with clinical support services.

A multidisciplinary team will support Dr Cassidy in developing the service. On the team will be specialist nursing and other psychiatry and psychology staff.

Cork University Hospital is ideally suited to develop an integrated multidisciplinary psycho-oncology service.

Already available on site are specialities and treatments in all modalities of cancer care as well as dedicated liaison psychiatry services.