Symptom Management for Rural-Urban Cancer Survivors and Caregivers

As the population of cancer survivors increases substantially, meeting the health care and psychosocial needs of this population has become a national priority. After treatment ends, cancer survivors still experience a range of physical and psychological symptoms that require management. The post-treatment period can present new challenges for many survivors as they encounter communication gaps in the transition from oncology to primary care, leaving unmet needs for information and management of lingering symptoms. The role of informal caregivers remains important during this post-treatment period and psychosocial interventions that meet the needs (e.g., information, symptom management) of both members of the dyad are highly valuable to caregivers and survivors. Many geographic and social determinants of health care use (e.g., distance to specialty care centers, available primary care providers, and public transportation) make access to care and adherence to recommended healthcare guidelines difficult for survivors and caregivers, especially those who reside in rural areas. Rural residents with cancer and their caregivers during the post-treatment period are underrepresented in symptom management research. To address the unmet needs (e.g., information, symptom management) of cancer survivors and their caregivers after cancer treatment, this team has developed, tested, and investigated two telephone delivered interventions for survivors and their caregivers: Symptom Management and Survivorship Handbook (SMSH) and Telephone Interpersonal Counseling (TIP-C).

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Inclusion criteria for the survivors:

1. age 18 or older
2. within 4 weeks of completing or within 2 years of having completed cancer treatment with curative intent
3. able to perform basic activities of daily living
4. cognitively oriented to time, place, and person (recruiter determined)
5. able to speak and understand English or Spanish
6. access to a telephone
7. has a caregiver who can be any relationship role (e.g., spouse, sibling, parent, friend) who can participate with them.

Inclusion criteria for the caregivers:

1. age 18 or older
2. able to speak and understand English or Spanish
3. telephone access
4. not currently receiving counseling and/or psychotherapy
5. not currently treated for cancer

Exclusion criteria for the survivors:

1. Less than 18 years of age
2. Diagnosis of psychotic disorder
3. Nursing home resident
4. Bedridden
5. Currently receiving counseling and/or psychotherapy

Exclusion criteria for caregiver:

1. Less than 18 years of age
2. Currently treated for cancer to preserve the distinguishability of "survivor" and "caregiver"
3. Currently receiving counseling and/or psychotherapy