Abstract CN68
Background
The patient's situation and need for cancer rehabilitation should be identified in consultation with the patient. Based on needs and conditions, all patients should then be offered cancer rehabilitation throughout the care process (National Care program for Cancer Rehabilitation in Sweden, 2021). At the clinic for pelvic cancer patients at Karolinska University Hospital, work related to cancer rehabilitation are ongoing. However, there is still a lack of a common approach and structure to ensure that patients receive the rehabilitation they need at the right time.
Methods
In 2021, the clinic initiated a change of approach with systematic nurse-led support interventions, including the use of a specific communication tool, the Assessment of Cancer Rehabilitation Needs scale [ACRN]. The completed form is the starting point for the conversation between the patient and the cancer nurse. Hälsoskattningen, ACRN (Ohlsson-Nevo & Alkebro, 2017) is recommended in the National Care program for Cancer Rehabilitation in Sweden as a tool to assess the need for rehabilitation in cancer patients'. The form includes 19 items, on a 4-point response scale, covering physical, mental and social needs. To ensure that the conversation between patient and nurse is based on a person-centred approach and is structured, support documents have been created for the work process. Discussions are also held continuously in the nursing team.
Results
The change in approach, which distinctly includes structured assessments and conversations of rehabilitation needs, have: - clarified rehabilitation is an important part of the patient's treatment- and care plan - created better conditions for patients to feel involved in their care (as expressed by participating patients). Further experience is that responsible cancer nurses describe conversations with patients about rehabilitation as developing and important from a nursing perspective.
Conclusions
The patient's rehabilitation needs change during the course of the disease, so assessment and discussion of rehabilitation needs should be repeated on an ongoing basis. The described intervention therefore needs to be further developed so that cancer rehabilitation becomes a more explicit part of the patient's care and treatment pathway.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
J. Rundgren.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.