Findings from an educational support course for patients with leukemia

Recent evidence indicates that patients with leukemia are a distinct subset of cancer patients with specific adjustment issues and special needs for support and follow-up. This article shares recent research findings on an Australian educational support course, appropriately named Taking Control, designed specifically for patients with leukemia and associated disorders.

The material presented in this article represents the findings from the retrospective arm of a descriptive study designed to evaluate this course. Participants in the course during the calendar year of 1997 were surveyed with an author-designed, self-report questionnaire requesting feedback on their experience of the course.

Although the majority of participants were seeking information, there was strong evidence that the provision of information needs to be coupled with an understanding of the psychosocial reasons that motivated individuals to attend the course. The findings indicate that the course is perceived by participants to be an effective psychosocial intervention for assisting patients and their families cope with the serious diagnosis of leukemia.

Even though information seeking was an important reason for attending this educational course, there were many other significant emotional concerns that individuals brought to the experience. When exposed to the stress of leukemia and its treatment, patients and their significant others may become preoccupied with information gathering. Therefore, it is important to not only explore the issue of the informational needs of participants, but also to examine the emotional needs they associate with this information gathering. The hope and expectation about sharing the findings of this program is that it will assist with the development of similar programs elsewhere and will stimulate further research on the importance of educational support groups in oncology.