Assessing the perceived needs of patients attending an outpatient melanoma clinic

Among 300 randomly selected eligible patients with melanoma identified from outpatient records at a melanoma clinic, 198 signed a consent form and subsequently received a Cancer Needs Questionnaire to complete at home and return. Among these patients, 179 completed and returned the questionnaire. The questionnaire includes items pertaining to five categories of needs: Psychological, health information, physical and daily living, patient care and support, and interpersonal communication. Twelve melanoma-specific items also were included. The prevalence of individual needs ranged from 14% to 43%, and 6 of the 10 highest-ranked needs concerned health information. Patients’ demographic and disease and treatment variables were related to needs within each category. The findings suggest that more research is needed to measure patients’ needs routinely, to identify patient groups with specific needs, and to develop methods to meet their needs effectively.