Supporting the Psychological Needs of Patients with Cancer

Course overview

Nearly all patients diagnosed with cancer experience some level of distress from diagnosis, throughout treatment, and beyond into survivorship. Distress makes it harder to cope with cancer symptoms and treatment. The patient's response may vary from anxiety to psychiatric disorders. Standards of cancer care call for the psychological needs of patients with cancer to be identified, addressed, and treated. Healthcare professionals play a vital role in screening for psychosocial distress. This course will discuss psychosocial support, such as distress screening and psychological interventions, to help patients cope with cancer. The goal of this course is to provide nurses and social workers with information to identify distress and interventions to address the psychosocial needs of patients with cancer. DSM and DSM-5 are registered trademarks of the American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychiatric Association is not affiliated with nor endorses this course.