Integrated psychological intervention to support the emotional well being of oncological patients under standard and exceptional circumstances

Supportive care, including exercise, nutritional and psycho-oncological interventions, is becoming increasingly important in cancer given their impact on ‘patients’ quality and quantity of life. The purpose of this study was to explore willingness, preferences barriers and facilitators for a multimodal intervention in patients with cancer. An anonymous questionnaire was proposed on randomly selected days to the patients visiting the cancer outpatients’ facilities at the Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Verona. The questionnaire investigated willingness, preferences, barriers, and facilitators associated with participation in a multimodal program designed for patients with cancer. Exercise level was estimated using two open questions, nutritional risk was identified using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002, while distress was evaluated with the Distress Thermometer. Based on 324 participants, 65% were interested in starting a multimodal intervention. Patients declared to prefer to receive instructions from dedicated experts, with a face-to-face approach, and during the anticancer treatment. Treatment-related side effects were the major obstacles for a multimodal program, while the availability of a specialized staff as exercise kinesiologists, dietitians, and psycho-oncologists was found to be an important facilitator for increasing ‘patients’ participation. Patients patients with cancer are interested in participating in a multimodal supportive care program specifically designed for them. Information from this study may help to design a tailored multimodal intervention for patients with cancer.