Integrating Psychosocial Care Into Routine Cancer Care

Despite growing recognition that psychosocial care is an essential component of comprehensive cancer care, evidence suggests many patients with cancer do not receive needed psychosocial care.

Four areas were identified as potentially increasing the number of patients with cancer who receive needed psychosocial care: (1) formulating care standards, (2) issuing clinical practice guidelines, (3) developing and using measurable indicators of quality of care, and (4) demonstrating projects designed to improve the delivery of care.

Standards for psychosocial care are identified, including a standard issued in 2015 by an accrediting organization. Three clinical practice guidelines for provisioning psychosocial care are also identified and reviewed. Methods for monitoring the quality of psychosocial care are characterized and the impact of monitoring changes in quality are evaluated in relation to existing evidence. Examples are provided of 2 large-scale efforts designed to improve the delivery of psychosocial care in community settings.

Although considerable progress has been made in integrating psychosocial care into routine cancer care, work must still be done. Additional progress will be fostered by continued efforts to promote adherence to clinical practice guidelines and care standards for psychosocial care and by the development and dissemination of models that demonstrate how practices can implement these guidelines and standards.