INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL
ACADEMIES
Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs
Released On: October 23, 2007
Cancer care today often provides state-of-the-science biomedical treatment, but
fails to address the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems associated
with the illness. These problems—including patients’ lack of information or
skills needed to manage the illness; anxiety, depression or other emotional
problems; lack of transportation or other resources; and disruptions in work,
school, and family life can cause additional suffering, weaken adherence to
prescribed treatments, and threaten patients’ return to health.
Today, it is not possible to deliver good-quality cancer care without addressing
patients’ psychosocial health needs. All patients with cancer and their families
should expect and receive cancer care that ensures the provision of appropriate
psychosocial health services. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the delivery of psychosocial services to
cancer patients and their families and identify ways to improve it. This report
recommends ten actions that oncology providers, health policy makers, educators,
health insurers, health plans, quality oversight organizations, researchers and
research sponsors, and consumer advocates should undertake to ensure that this
standard is met.
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