Survey: Almost two thirds of cancer patients want to find out about complementary therapies before treatment

Survey: Almost two thirds of cancer patients want to find out about complementary therapies before treatment

Almost two-thirds (62%) of cancer patients want to learn about complementary therapies such as exercise, nutritional advice, massage and meditation before starting conventional treatment, but only 33% of oncologists agree with this schedule, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the Samueli Foundation.

Patients want more information about their options so they can make informed decisions about their overall treatment – ​​both traditional and complementary treatments combined. It is up to providers to have conversations with their patients to better understand the “whole person” coming to care and promote treatment plans tailored to individuals.”

Wayne Jonas, MD, Executive Director of Integrative Health Programs at the Samueli Foundation

The survey of more than 1,000 patients diagnosed with cancer within the last two years and 150 oncologists revealed a strong patient preference for cancer treatment that integrates complementary approaches. 40 percent of cancer patients say they would have chosen a hospital that offered complementary therapies if they could go back in time. More than a third (35%) say their satisfaction would have increased if their healthcare team had offered them complementary services such as mental health support/therapy, mindfulness and spiritual services alongside traditional treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.

More than three-quarters of oncologists (76%) said they wanted to learn more about the benefits of complementary therapies in combination with traditional treatments. However, many cited barriers to pursuing integrative approaches, including lack of insurance reimbursement (49%), lack of staff (39%), the false assumption that patients are not interested (32%), and lack of time to incorporate these options into conversations with patients (31%).

“It is clear that clinicians, insurers and hospitals need to learn more about and provide more access to information and treatment options,” Jonas said. “Patients and oncologists want to see the benefits of treating the whole person rather than just the disease, but many systems are set up to prevent this type of care.”

50% of patients and 60% of oncologists strongly agree that integrative oncology can help manage side effects and improve overall well-being both during and after treatment. Additionally, 40% of patients and oncologists alike believe that adding complementary therapies improves treatment outcomes and overall survival compared to using medical treatments alone. Urban patients (55%) and patients aged 18 to 50 (72%) say this much more often than rural patients (35%) and patients aged 75 and over (23%).

Overall, 66% of cancer patients report having used at least one complementary therapy, but the majority have never shared this information with their oncologist. The most commonly used complementary therapies were nutritional counseling (35%), mental health support/therapy (27%), exercise counseling (26%), meditation/mindfulness (26%), and spiritual services (25%). Among patients, more than a quarter said the two biggest barriers to using complementary approaches are their lack of knowledge about these treatments and their treating facility not offering this option.

“Hospitals and providers need to offer more treatment options beyond traditional cancer care to increase patient satisfaction and improve the quality of life and longevity of cancer patients,” Jonas said. "By offering integrative health care options, medical providers can meet exploding patient demand. It is up to us as health care providers to learn about and advocate for more treatment options that go beyond pills and procedures."

Source:

Samueli Foundation

.