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Aim: To identify patients’ perceptions of information about prognosis and chemotherapy. Method: A questionnaire survey was undertaken. Results: A heterogeneous sample of 94 patients revealed that 89 (96%) had received written information about their chemotherapy, however, there were differences in their perceptions of its usefulness, sources, recall and understanding. Conclusion: The results highlighted implications for healthcare professionals regarding the emotional effects on patients during information exchange, and the possibility of unmet information needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To explore health professionals' perceptions of the needs of patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Background Patients with vulnerabilities face additional challenges. People with learning difficulties are often protected from even basic cancer information; patients with severe mental illness are open to structural discrimination with limited access to diagnostic and treatment services. There is also a much poorer survival rate after a cancer diagnosis for patients living with dementia. Design A qualitative design was used. Methods A focus group design was undertaken for this project using a narrative analytical approach revealing how narrative tales are presented and performed. Eighteen healthcare workers were recruited from a regional oncology centre in North West England. Two focus groups were conducted with nine participants in each. The data were collected from late 2011-2012. Results Participants were primarily focused on getting patients through treatment. The identification of vulnerability was an 'extra' complication and one that in practice was difficult to define/categorise. The participants appreciated the wider inclusion of family and friends to support vulnerable patients although they felt formalised health care was not particularly facilitative of this process. There were difficulties in achieving support for complex patient needs in the presence of a target driven culture. Conclusions Healthcare professionals need wider managerial and cultural support in meeting the needs of vulnerable patients. There appeared to be a tendency by healthcare professionals to minimise the inherent coping abilities of vulnerable patients. Relevance to clinical practice There is a clear need to support health professionals in providing appropriate resources in order to address the complex needs of vulnerable patients. This requires a cultural shift away from targets and an investment into greater resources for effective multidisciplinary working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the vital role of informal carers has been acknowledged in government policy documents in the UK, the information needs of informal carers are not well documented. There is also uncertainty about where carers get their information from and whether they are satisfied with the information they receive. This study aimed to examine the information needs and sources of information for informal carers in the acute cancer setting; the informal carers of a sample of women treated for breast cancer. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 50 informal carers. Measures of information needs and sources were administered in addition to an in-depth exploration of information needs. The priority information needs of carers related to cure, spread of disease and treatments, a similar profile to that found for women with breast cancer in previous work. The main source of information for carers was the person they were caring for, although written information was also valued. Health professionals need to ensure that patients are well informed so that patients can provide information for carers and also need to take advantage of any opportunities to directly assess the information needs of carers to enable them to be more effective in their caring role.