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An evaluation of social work services in a cancer accommodation facility for rural South Australians

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the social work service at an accommodation facility for people receiving cancer treatment away from home with a focus on distress, impact of support, and type of assistance received from the social work service.

Method

Guests who stayed at the Cancer Council Lodge during June 2015 were mailed a questionnaire collecting information about level of distress upon arrival and departure, impact of support in several areas, and what the service assisted them with specifically.

Results

The sample comprised 149 guests. Social work contact (n = 19) was associated with greater reduction in distress between arrival and departure compared with no contact (n = 56). Contact with a social worker was associated with greater odds of agreeing or strongly agreeing that guests felt supported in 6 out of 10 areas assessed. These areas were managing the challenges related to cancer, approaching support services, asking questions of healthcare teams, accessing support services, coping with strong emotions, and understanding reactions of family and friends. The most common types of support received were emotional and informational support.

Conclusions

This study describes some of benefits of providing social work services to people receiving cancer treatment away from home and has implications for provision of social work service resources in similar settings. Further research could investigate the impact of this service in similar settings using randomised controlled trials to better account for potential biases. Research in this area has potential to inform program development and policy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Council SA, 202 Greenhill Rd, Eastwood, SA, 5063, Australia

    Bonnie Wiggins, Nadia Corsini, Imogen Ramsey, Deb Ball, Lesley Cocks, Jo Lill, Greg Sharplin & Carlene Wilson

  2. Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia

    Carlene Wilson

  3. University of Adelaide, North Tce, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Nadia Corsini & Suzanne Edwards

  4. Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre, Sansom Institute, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Nadia Corsini, Imogen Ramsey & Greg Sharplin

  5. Olivia Newton John Cancer Wellness Research Centre, Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia

    Carlene Wilson

  6. School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3068, Australia

    Carlene Wilson

Authors
  1. Bonnie Wiggins
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  2. Nadia Corsini
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  3. Imogen Ramsey
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  4. Suzanne Edwards
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  5. Deb Ball
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  6. Lesley Cocks
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  7. Jo Lill
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  8. Greg Sharplin
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  9. Carlene Wilson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bonnie Wiggins.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Data

All primary data is property of Cancer Council SA.

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Wiggins, B., Corsini, N., Ramsey, I. et al. An evaluation of social work services in a cancer accommodation facility for rural South Australians. Support Care Cancer 26, 147–154 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3828-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3828-z

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