***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: For many cancer patients and their families the experience of cancer is an intensely stressful one . Emotional support is important for most cancer patients during their illness and can be gained from different people and services . This study evaluates patients ' attitudes to different sources of support and rates their satisfaction with sources already used . A total of 431 patients completed a question naire covering the use of different sources , including individuals , support groups and information sources . The question naire also incorporated vali date d measurements of anxiety , depression and locus of control . The results revealed that the three most important sources of emotional support were senior registrars ( 73 % ) and family ( 73 % ) , followed by consultants ( 63 % ) . Patients would prefer doctor- and nurse-led support groups to patient only-led groups ( 26 % vs 12 % ) . Pamphlets , such as the BACUP booklets , proved the most important of the informational sources sought ( 50 % ) . A total of 86 % of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the emotional support received . Patients who expressed dissatisfaction with their emotional support were significantly more likely to be anxious and depressed ( P < 0.001 ) . Patients who used information sources were more likely to have a higher locus of control over the course of their disease . These results show how important the doctor 's role is in the provision of emotional support Abstract The purpose of the current study was to assess the practical and psychosocial needs of rural women with early breast cancer in Australia and recommend strategies to ensure equity in availability and access to cancer treatment for all women . A r and om sample of 204 rural women diagnosed with early breast cancer was recruited to participate in a telephone survey via state and territory cancer registries . Although the majority of women were satisfied with their provision of information overall , less than a third of participants were provided with specific information on assistance for rural women . Findings also revealed that only 47 % of the women who had to travel for treatment received financial assistance , and 13 % of these women had difficulty organizing or cl aim ing financial assistance . Furthermore , only 10 % of women found social workers to be a source of support The effect of an informational intervention that provided objective descriptions , in concrete terms , of the usual experiences during the various phases of radiation therapy was tested in a r and om clinical trial . The patients had Stage A , B , or C prostatic cancer . Forty‐two control patients received the information routinely provided to all patients in the treatment setting . Forty‐two experimental patients received , in addition , four informational messages during the course of radiation therapy . The first message described the experience of treatment planning ; the second described the experience of receiving a radiation treatment ; the third described side effects that usually occur , their onset , their characteristics , and activities to lessen their impact ; and the fourth described the usual experiences during the months following radiation treatments . The experimental group of patients , compared with those in the control group , reported significantly less disruption in usual activities during and following radiation therapy . The amount of emotional disturbance was low and did not differ by study group . The results of this study , with respect to the interventions ' effect on radiation therapy patients ' quality of life , were consistent with prior research in other health care situations Recent advances in the treatment of early stage breast cancer give women a choice of treatments . Prospect i ve and retrospective studies demonstrate the comparable efficacy of treatment with a modified radical mastectomy and treatment with conservative surgery and primary radiation . While the number of women with early stage breast cancer choosing the latter treatment continues to increase , there is a paucity of information in the nursing literature assessing the informational and psychosocial needs of this group . This article reports the results of a question naire assessing the informational and psychosocial needs of patients choosing breast conservation surgery  , and the future implication s of these results for the nursing profession The increasing use of brachytherapy  in patients with cancer m and ates that the informational needs of these patients are met . A nonr and omized sample of 22 patients undergoing brachytherapy  participated in a study to determine ( 1 ) informational needs , ( 2 ) the degree to which patients prefer to be informed about and to participate in their medical care , and ( 3 ) the relationship between informational needs and selected variables . Most patients ( 86.4 % ) desired maximum information about their illness . The informational needs most frequently identified preimplant were how to manage side effects ( 54.5 % ) , activity restrictions during implant ( 54.5 % ) , pain management and comfort measures ( 54.5 % ) , cause of current symptoms ( 54.5 % ) , and how the implant could affect symptoms ( 54.5 % ) . Postimplant needs included when to call the doctor ( 68 % ) , possible side effects of treatment ( 64 % ) , and how to manage side effects ( 63.6 % ) . A significantly lower level of anxiety was found after the implant , compared to before the implant ( p less than 0.005 ) . A significant relationship was found between the number of informational needs and the stage of disease . Patients with advanced late disease ( stages III and IV ) had fewer informational needs than those with early disease ( stages I and II ) , both before and after the implant ( p less than 0.05 ) . The results indicate that patients receiving  brachytherapy have a variety of informational needs and generally prefer to be fully informed about their condition . The findings indicate possible content areas for educational programs and for counseling of patients undergoing brachytherapy This study assessed patient awareness and use -- as well as obstacles to use -- of HMO- and community-based psychosocial support services design ed for cancer patients . Participants were a r and omly selected group of patients from a large Northwest HMO , with breast ( N=145 ) , prostate ( N=151 ) , or colon cancer ( N=72 ) , and their oncology and urology providers ( N=29 ) .  Patient awareness was highest for HMO-based services ( 68 - 90 % ) and lower for community- ( 33 % ) or Internet-based ( 10 - 14 % ) services , and use rates were low across all services ( range 2 - 8 % ) . Providers reported referring 70 % of their patients to HMO cancer support services , but their estimates of actual patient use of these services ( 40 % ) were inflated . Providers reported few barriers to referring patients to support services . The most commonly reported patient barriers to using such services were already having adequate support , lack of awareness of the service , and lack of provider referral . Results of regression analyses suggest that education , physician referral , social support , and spirituality may be important influences on use of cancer support services . This study takes a first step toward underst and ing patient use of existing cancer support services and suggests ways to increase participation in these services A convenience sample of 83 patients with cancer were interviewed before and /or after a full course of radiotherapy , with 36 patients interviewed both times , to determine their perceptions about the functions served by the information received from st and ard care personnel Patients indicated the preferred sources of receiving information . The results indicate that information served three main functions . Active participation was the most frequently cited function , followed by anxiety reduction and preparation . There was no difference by gender , age , education , or socio economic status ( SES ) in type of functions cited . Disadvantages in receiving information were rarely cited but included receiving bad news and inaccurate or vague information . Many stated that they nevertheless still wanted the information . Verbal communication , especially from the physician , followed by written material , was the most popular choice for receiving information at pretreatment . Written material was more frequently cited as the preferred type of information at posttreatment . Nurses were mentioned as an information source more frequently at posttreatment than at pretreatment . Implication s of the findings for practitioners working with patients with cancer are discussed . Patients with cancer After discharge from the hospital , patients with cancer can have several problems at home . In this project , patients with cancer , who at time of discharge from the hospital were not indicated for nursing care at home , were offered three home visits by a community nurse . A prospect i ve , descriptive study was undertaken to assess indicators of usefulness of these " continuity visits . " It was registered how many and what patients [ sex , age , ( time of ) diagnosis , social support , therapy ] wanted to receive the visit . Care needs , as mentioned by the patients during the continuity visits , were reported after the visit by the community nurse . Both patients and community nurses completed an evaluation form after the first visit . A continuity visit was offered to 337 patients ; 112 patients received a first , 50 a second , and 24 a third continuity visit . Older patients , patients without social support , and those diagnosed less than half a year before more often agreed to received a first visit . Reasons for patients not receiving a second or third visit were either that patients did not want one or on the contrary they were in need of immediate nursing care or had died before the visit . Two weeks after discharge , 93 % of the patients experienced one or more physical , psychological , or social problems ; 70 % mentioned a need for information ; and 47 % needed emotional support . Both patients and community nurses evaluate the first visit positively . The findings suggest that continuation of the offer of the first continuity visit could be useful OBJECTIVES --To identify strengths , weaknesses , and omissions in existing leaflets and factsheets on  prostatectomy  given by surgeons to patients . DESIGN --Comparison of content of leaflets and factsheets with patients ' needs and discontents in a question naire survey as part of the national prostatectomy audit . SETTING --All NHS and independent hospitals performing prostatectomy in four health regions . SUBJECTS--87 surgeons , 53 of whom used printed material  to inform patients about their operations ; a total of 25 different factsheets being used . 5361 men undergoing prostatectomy were sent a closed response question naire about their treatment ; 4226 men returned it completed . A r and om sample of 2000 patients was asked for further comments , of whom 807 supplied pertinent comments . MAIN MEASURES --Content of the 25 factsheets compared with patients ' needs identified in the question naires . RESULTS --Much of the information distributed had considerable shortcomings : it lacked uniformity in form and content , topics of relevance to patients were omitted , terminology was often poor , and patients ' experience was at variance with what their surgeons said . For example , only one factsheet discussed the potential consequences of malignancy . Patients wanted more information on prostate cancer ( 1250(29 % ) ) and some thought that the explanation of biopsy results was inadequate ( 29(4 % ) ) . Only six factsheets discussed the possible changes in sexual sensation after transurethral resection of the prostate , stating that patients would feel no change . However , 1490(35 % ) patients reported a change and 500(12 % ) were worried about it . CONCLUSION --Current st and ards of printed information do not meet the needs and requirements of patients undergoing prostatectomy Numerous studies have shown that patients are usually dissatisfied with the information they receive during clinical consultations with medical specialists . Therefore , a r and omised study design has been used to assess the role of personal letters to patients outlining their cancer consultation . Compared with the control group , patients receiving letters were more satisfied with the amount of information given , and tended to have greater and more accurate recall of the consultation . A survey of referring doctors revealed general support for the idea of sending to cancer patients letters that outline the substance of their consultations . The study shows that letters to  patients  are a useful method of improving patient satisfaction and recall in clinical consultations . They also provide a permanent record of the consultation , which can be kept for future reference , and encourage greater patient involvement in their care This study aim ed to acquire information about the knowledge patients have about  radiation and radiotherapy  , and the sources and impact of this knowledge . Data collection was by semi-structured interviews with 30 r and omly selected adult patients conducted during the first half of a course of radiotherapy .  Data analysis used three major themes : language , underst and ing and sources of knowledge . Few interviewees had any idea of the physical characteristics of radiation treatment , or they found it difficult to explain . Knowledge about radiation use , other than for medical purpose s , most commonly concerned the atom bomb . Patients understood radiotherapy in terms of its action on cancer . Almost all offered a sensible description of why radiotherapy was being used to treat their cancer . Most talked about radiation attacking their cancer in some way and many worried about its damaging effect . A third gave detailed information about what they had become aware of through the written press , or radio or television . The message taken from press reports was largely negative 
    Output:
    
We examined patients '  information needs and sources along the continuum of care and found that during diagnosis and treatment , information needs about the stage of disease , treatment options , and side-effects of treatment were prominent ; during post-treatment , patients continued to need information about treatment , and information about recovery was also important .