Table 1 Individual supportive care needs of people with cancer classified into need domains

Physical/cognitive

Need for help with symptom management of cancer-related problems, treatment-related toxicity, cognitive dysfunction

Disruption of physical care, including medication, treatment, and observation

Psychosocial/emotional

Need for help with psychological/emotional symptoms such as depressive mood, anxiety, fear/worry, despair

Additional stresses resulting from disaster, loss and disruption

Family-related and family caregiver support

Need for help with dysfunctional family relationships, fears/concerns for family future; participation of family caregivers to continue supportive care, encouragement to cancer survivors

Potential separation from family members and loss of support

Social/societal

Need for help with experience of social isolation, inefficient social support, diminished socialization

Separation from normal social connections; potential increased isolation

Interpersonal/intimacy

Need for help with altered body image or sexuality, sexual health problems, compromised intimacy with partner, loss of fertility

Exacerbation of intimacy issues resulting from stress, disruptions, or separation from partner

Practical/daily living

Need for help with transportation, will to live, out-of-hours accessibility, funeral care, financial strain, experience of restriction in daily living tasks such as housekeeping, exercise

Disruptions of many or all aspects of daily living

Information/education

Need for help with lack of information, uncertainty about diagnosis/treatment, uncertainty/lack of knowledge about selfcare

Infrastructure disruption limiting access to information

Health system/patient-clinician communication

Need for help with insufficient communication between patients and clinicians, satisfaction with care, participation in decision-making, preferences in communication

Infrastructure disruption precluding healthcare contact