"A Much Needed Specialist Service": Patient Perspectives on Hereditary Cancer Risk Psychology Service Delivery and...

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Oncology
• Genetics

Background:

• Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) increases cancer risk.
• Patients with HBOC often experience psychological distress.
• There is a need for specialized mental health support for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a pilot specialist clinical psychology service for patients with HBOC.
• To assess the effectiveness of the service in reducing psychological distress.
• To gather patient feedback on service satisfaction and identify areas for improvement.

Main Methods:

• A multi-method study involving 51 patients with HBOC.
• Review of demographic data, service engagement, and psychological assessments (PHQ-9, GAD-7).
• Reflexive thematic analysis of 16 patient feedback forms.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in clinical levels of depression (d=1.38) and anxiety (d=1.87) from intake to discharge.
• Patient feedback indicated very high satisfaction with the specialist service.
• Key strengths identified include the specialist nature of the service and dedicated time.

Conclusions:

• The pilot psychology service demonstrated value in improving mental health outcomes for HBOC patients.
• Findings suggest a need for embedded, flexible, and accessible psychological services for individuals with HBOC.
• This is the first study to evaluate a dedicated psychology service for HBOC, with implications for future service design.