[Outpatients' needs for social service counselling - An exploratory survey in selected university outpatient clinics]

People with chronic diseases face many challenges as their disease progresses. In particular, patients with severe and rare diseases receive long-term care from university outpatient clinics. For patients suffering from non-oncological diseases, counseling services are available only as an element of inpatient care. The pilot study aimed to identify potential social service support needs and counseling requirements of these patients for the first time.

A standardized questionnaire on counseling needs and concerns (online and paper form) was developed and administered in a pilot study in 2024 among patients at three outpatient clinics of a university hospital in Lower Saxony.

The questionnaire comprises established and specially developed sections on social services counseling, clinical care, counseling experience, socio-demographic background, and informal social support. Results of the pilot study involving 64 patients suggest that the quality of the questionnaire is up to standard. One third of participants said that psychosocial counseling would have been 'very helpful' and two fifths found it would have been 'somewhat helpful'. Most common concerns encompassed psychosocial and medical rehabilitation guidance followed by disability benefits, employment, and pension- and home support-related advice.

The findings indicate that patients with chronic non-oncological diseases require psychosocial counseling and support throughout their illness. Counseling was considered particularly helpful in the early phases of disease and when assistance with everyday life was required.

In the absence of reliable data to quantify counseling needs as a basis for developing specific services, it appears to be essential to provide information to connect patients with existing counseling services.