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Background: Self-help groups (SHGs) are an important cornerstone of the German health care system. Especially collaborations of SHGs with cancer centers enable active patient involvement in cancer care. We investigated the current situation and unmet needs of Bavarian SHGs in order to point out possible options of action., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with Bavarian psycho-oncological SHGs. Via e-mail, an online survey was sent to 150 SHGs registered at the BZKF (Bavarian Cancer Research Center). We assessed activities and needs of the SHGs as well as the nature of collaborations with cancer centers. We focused on adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the inclusion of migrants., Results: 46 (33.66%) SHGs participated, while 39 (84.78%) completed the questionnaire. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 50% of the SHGs reported less meetings. 22.7% changed to online meetings or other formats (43.2%). 20.9% of the SHGs had regular meetings with the cancer center, and 23.1% with the psycho-oncology. 51.2% evaluated the psycho-oncological services as neutral to dissatisfying due to lack of information, availability, and long waiting times. The SHGs indicated needs concerning interventions (coping strategies, digital applications, etc.), information, and better communication. Efforts for overcoming inequalities seemed rare: only 13.6% of the SHGs and 16.2% of the cancer centers had services for migrants., Conclusions: This study gave an overview of current activities and needs of Bavarian SHGs. The implementation of patient guides, comprehensive information material, and low-threshold psycho-oncological services should be objectives in future care to increase patient satisfaction. The needs for services for migrants should be investigated in more detail., (© 2024 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Due to the establishment of a nationwide certification system for cancer centers in Germany, the availability of psycho-oncological services for cancer patients has increased substantially. However, little is known about the specific intervention techniques that are applied during sessions in an acute care hospital, since a standardized taxonomy is lacking. With this study, we aimed at the investigation of psycho-oncological intervention techniques and the development of a comprehensive and structured taxonomy thereof., Methods: In a stepwise procedure, a team of psycho-oncologists generated a data pool of interventions and definitions that were tested in clinical practice during a pilot phase. After an adaptation of intervention techniques, interrater reliability (IRR) was attained by rating 10 previously recorded psycho-oncological sessions. A classification of interventions into superordinate categories was performed, supported by cluster analysis., Results: Between April and June 2017, 980 psycho-oncological sessions took place. The experts agreed on a total number of 22 intervention techniques. An IRR of 89% for 2 independent psycho-oncological raters was reached. The 22 techniques were classified into 5 superordinate categories., Discussion/conclusion: We developed a comprehensive and structured taxonomy of psycho-oncological intervention techniques in an acute care hospital that provides a standardized basis for systematic research and applied care. We expect our work to be continuously subjected to further development: future research should evaluate and expand our taxonomy to other contexts and care settings., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)