The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition is backing an international move to see psychological and social care recognised as an integral part of cancer treatment.
BCAC has endorsed a statement on standards and clinical guidelines in cancer care issued by the International Pscyho-Oncology Society (IPOS).
The IPOS International Standard of Quality Cancer Care states that:
• quality cancer care must integrate the psychosocial domain into routine care
• distress should be measured as the sixth vital sign after temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate and pain.
BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, says it’s vital that psychological and social care are recognised as part and parcel of routine cancer treatment.
“Cancer diagnosis and treatment can be a very traumatic time and many cancer patients need, and benefit from, counselling or psychological therapy as well as social programmes designed to offer emotional support.
“This kind of help is often overlooked and we’re thrilled to endorse this effort by IPOS to ensure that the medical profession pays attention to the emotional burden of cancer as well as the physical one,” Ms Burgess says.
IPOS wants distress to be listed as one of the vital signs medical professionals check for in patients in order to highlight the importance of emotional wellbeing for cancer patients.
The organisation says, “endorsing distress as the sixth vital sign will raise awareness of distress as an essential component of patient experience and will act as a call to action for care providers and the health system as a whole to assure psychosocial care for patients.”
Ms Burgess says BCAC would be keen to assess how New Zealand breast cancer patients feel their psychological needs are recognised and dealt with throughout cancer treatment.
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