A Study of Situations Expectations and Needs of Cancer Services

Abstract

The overall aims of this research are to study the situations of cancer services, and the expectations and needs of cancer care providers, patients, and their family members. The mixed-methods were mainly used in this research. The research samples consisted of 462 service recipients; and 86 service providers from 8 hospitals providing cancer treatment services. There were four sets of researching tools used: 1) an in-depth interview form; 2) a group discussion questionnaire, and 3) and 4) were questionnaires on the needs and expectations of patients and their family members toward cancer services. The data were collected from October 2020 to March 2021. Quantitative data were analyzed and reported as frequencies, means, percentages, and standard deviation. Qualitative data were analyzed by using content analysis.
The results: apart from diagnosis and treatment perspectives which were at a high level, the overall cancer services situations based on the perceptions of service users were at a moderate level. From an overall perspective of expectations and needs of cancer services, they were at a high level except for palliative care which was at a moderate level. In terms of health care providers, we found that they could work in line with the Service Plan, however, they had the expectations and needs of formulating clear strategies and operational guidelines in cancer services, creating an effective work and administration system, as well as developing working skills. There are some recommendations to improve cancer care services such as developing and providing cancer care services to address the individual needs of patients and their family members.