Objectives: We prospectively evaluated the effects of a six-session psychoeducational intervention held by medical doctors or psychologists in a German acute cancer center setting.
Methods: A cluster randomization was used to assign n=108 oncologic patients (55 female, 53 male; mean age=58.5) to the intervention or the control group. The self-rated amount of information about cancer-specific topics, quality of life (EORTC), coping (TSK) and anxiety and depression (HAD-S) were measured at the beginning of the intervention (t0) as well as two and four months later (t1).
Results: At t1 the level of information related to different aspects of cancer (p<0.01) and "emotional functioning" (EORTC; p<0.05) were clearly improved in the intervention vs. the control group. At t2 intervention group patients again showed an increased level of information (p<0.05) and more emotional stability (p<0.05). In addition, reduced rumination was seen in patients of the intervention but not the control group (TSK; p=0.01).
Conclusion: This study provides evidence that even short interdisciplinary psychoeducational interventions can at least improve the level of cancer-related information while hardly denting the budget of any healthcare system.