Trajectories of Supportive Care Needs for People Who Travel to Receive Cancer Treatment: A Longitudinal Study in Australia.

OBJECTIVE

To describe trajectories of change in unmet supportive care needs over a two-year period among people diagnosed with cancer and assess whether these trajectories vary as a function of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

METHODS

This analysis used data from a longitudinal study of people in Queensland, Australia who travelled largely from regional and remote areas to metropolitan centres to receive cancer care (N = 784). Supportive care needs were measured at baseline, then at 3-, 12-, and 24-month post-baseline across five domains ('psychological', 'physical and daily living', 'health systems and information', 'patient care and support', 'sexuality') using the Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form. Latent Curve Growth Analysis was performed to examine trajectories of change in unmet needs and assess whether these trajectories were influenced by participant characteristics.

RESULTS

Significant linear slopes indicated a modest decrease in unmet supportive care needs for all domains, except sexuality. For most domains, significant variance in intercepts but not slopes indicated individual differences in needs at baseline but not in trajectories over time. At baseline, the proportion of unmet needs was highest for the 'physical and daily living' (M = 44.2%, SD = 39.1%) and 'psychological' domains (M = 37.8%, SD = 36.3%). Unmet needs at baseline were consistently higher among participants who were younger, had a higher education level, and who reported poorer QoL.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of unmet supportive care needs reported by people living with cancer may decrease over time, largely irrespective of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Despite this, unmet needs remain prevalent, particularly for physical and psychological support.