Correlation of unmet supportive care needs with demographic characteristics in cancer patients

Supportive care is providing necessary and necessary services for living with cancer in order to meet the needs of patients in all stages of the disease, which will not happen without a good understanding of the needs of patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the correlation between unmet supportive care needs and demographic characteristics in patients with various types of cancer.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 350 cancer patients referred to medical centers affiliated to Tehran Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences using available sampling in 2023. The questionnaire of supportive care needs of cancer patients (supportive care needs survey) was used, which had five areas of physical needs and daily functioning, health and information system, support and patient care, mental and sexual. Data analysis were done using SPSS version 26 and descriptive and inferential statistics.

The patients had the most need in the physical area and daily functioning (101.52±27.7) and the least need in the sexual area (53.91±33.5). There was a significant statistical correlation between the variables of marital status, occupation, lifestyle, addiction and level of education with supportive care needs in cancer patients (p<0.001).

This study showed that the unmet needs of cancer patients are high in physical and daily functioning. Although the confirmation of these findings requires more studies