What do newly diagnosed cancer patients discuss with survivors?

Kimberly Dasch, Jeff Kendall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Cancer Companion Program at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center is a peer-to-peer telephone-based program that connects a newly diagnosed cancer patient with a previous cancer patient with the same diagnosis. Similar peer support and telephone-based programs have been studied, and many benefits have been found in previous studies. As such, this study focuses not on program efficacy, but rather aims to understand the topics that newly diagnosed cancer patients discuss with cancer survivors. Participants in this study were 41 newly-diagnosed cancer patients who had requested to be matched with a volunteer cancer companion. Content analysis of the phone call logs demonstrated that patients discussed treatment-related, psychological, and day-to-day concerns. These results are discussed in terms of educating physicians, nurses, and psychosocial cancer care practitioners about the issues which are most important to newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)489-492
Number of pages4
JournalDelaware medical journal
Volume79
Issue number12
StatePublished - Dec 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'What do newly diagnosed cancer patients discuss with survivors?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this