Communicating bad news to patients and families in African oncology settings

Communication to adult patients undergoing cancer care by non-specialist nurses: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Little is known regarding how non-specialist nurses communicate with patients living with cancer when the patients are receiving care outside of their cancer units/teams. This scoping review aims to identify, examine and report on the currently available evidence about communication by non-specialist nurses when caring for adults living with cancer outside of their cancer care unit/teams.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A scoping review following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews will be conducted. We will search for empirical studies that meet the inclusion criteria in six databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and PsycINFO). Handsearching in references of included articles will be performed to find additional articles. The population of interest will be non-specialist nurses. Three concepts will be explored, namely (1) all adult patients living with cancer, (2) a focus on three stages of the cancer continuum of care (cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship) and (3) a focus on communication between non-specialist nurses and patients living with cancer. We will include studies describing all healthcare settings outside patients' specialised cancer units or oncology teams. After article selection, two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts and perform a full-text article review, risk of bias assessments and data extraction. A third reviewer will resolve all disagreements. A narrative summary will provide an overview of how the results relate to the research aims and questions. The included articles will be limited to English and published between 2012 and 2023.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

No ethical approval is required since we will use publicly available empirical research sources. This review will provide current research on communication by non-specialist nurses with patients with a cancer diagnosis outside of an oncology setting, evidence that will support effective communication. As such, we aim to disseminate the findings in academic conferences and peer-reviewed journals.

Global psycho-oncology in low middle-income countries: Challenges and opportunities

OBJECTIVES

This Special Issue of Psycho-Oncology is focused on challenges and opportunities in the provision of psychosocial care to patients in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim is to highlight global disparities and inequity in the provision of evidence-based, culturally-sensitive and timely psychosocial care and to showcase the work of researchers and practitioners to address this gap. We hope that this Issue will help to advance the psychological and social dimensions of cancer care in all parts of the world.

METHODS

The focus of the papers is on research and clinical innovations in LMICs that target the psychological, social and cultural dimensions of cancer and on interventions to improve or maintain the psychological well-being, social functioning and/or quality of life of those who are affected and their families.

RESULTS

These papers draw attention to guidelines, resource needs, clinical service evaluation, emerging research and knowledge translation within LMICs that advance knowledge and implementation in the field of psycho-oncology.

CONCLUSIONS

Innovations and advances in psycho-oncology are emerging from LMICs to enhance the care of patients with cancer and their families in these regions and in all parts of the world. A sustained global initiative is now needed to ensure that guidelines for such care are routinely included in global, national and local cancer control plans and that essential resources and attention are directed to implement them.