Conception and Associated Evaluation of a Problem-Solving Training (PST) for Patients in the Hospital Context of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)

It appears from empirical studies that the problem-solving ability of patients is associated with the experience of distress and the patients' mental state. The goals of this study were the (1) conception and (2) associated evaluation of the psychological short-time intervention "problem-solving training" (PST) for patients hospitalized for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). (1) The conception of the PST comprised a multi-stage development phase. An existing manual for outpatients diagnosed with cancer was adapted to the specific situation of a HSCT. This was followed by development of a manual, definition of the general framework, instruction of coaches, and implementation in a hospital setting. (2) The associated evaluation of PST was conducted from the patients' and the coaches' point of view. A total of 22 patients and five coaches evaluated the training. The training was evaluated by both patients and coaches as being well achievable with the exception of a limited time frame for the first module. The manual explanations were judged to be intelligible by all participants. Regarding on-topic alertness, patients were, on average, rated as "rather "to "very attentive." The patients evaluated the response to their needs as "good." They further assessed their overall condition due to the training as "good." This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility of PST by using the developed manual (Psychological Short-Term Intervention PST for Patients During HSCT). Based on this, it is conceivable to implement this intervention in similar situations to the advantage of a different patient clientele.