Edinburgh Napier University

  Objective/Purpose
Internationally, little is known about how services contribute to positive changes in Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) from the patients’ perspective. This study identified the critical service components that people affected by cancer really value.

Methods
Qualitative thematic synthesis from the evaluation of two national cancer programmes in Scotland delivering holistic support to newly diagnosed patients and those entering a survivorship phase (‘Transforming Care After Treatment’ and ‘Improving Your Cancer Journey’). Participants were purposively sampled to capture a diverse range of age, sex and cancer types. Thirty-six semi‐structured interviews explored views and experiences of holistic assessment and support.

Results
Four themes were identified that captured the underlying value and benefit of psycho-social interventions for people affected by cancer: (1) ‘cancer being acknowledged’ (2) ‘connections and connectedness to support’; (3) ‘reassurance’ (4) ‘positive interactions’.

Conclusions/Clinical Implications
Four proximal outcomes were found to underpin PROMs. However, these are rarely measured and less readily quantified. To gain a deeper understanding of why interventions are valued by patients and how they may contribute to PROMs it is vital that researchers learn what lies beneath PROMs. By doing so, measurable outcomes can be prioritised and the whole impact of support services will be better understood to inform service design, delivery and evaluation.