Caring for Cancer: Understanding the Access and Perceptions of Psychosocial Cancer Services in North Texas Page: 2
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Quirk, Lisa Erin. Caring for Cancer: Understanding the Access and Perceptions of
Psychosocial Cancer Services in North Texas. Master of Science (Applied Anthropology),
December 2014, 79 pp, 3 tables, 4 figures, references, 82 titles.
It is estimated that nearly 14.5 million Americans are living with cancer today. A
commonly overlooked component to quality cancer care, as defined by the Institute of
Medicine, is the role of psychological and social support. Better known as psychosocial support,
these needs reflect a broad spectrum of obstacles or assets in an individual's personal life that
may help or hinder their healing experience. Some psychosocial examples include coping skills,
transportation to medical appointments, or appropriate knowledge to mitigate the physical
impacts of the cancer process. Research has shown that by addressing these potential needs, a
better health outcome may be achieved for cancer patients. Through participant observation at
local psychosocial service establishments and through semi-structured interviews with service
providers and adults diagnosed with cancer living in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, this thesis
research seeks to explore how local cancer patients are learning of psychosocial services
available to them, what barriers may exist in accessing these services, and what individuals may
be doing to address their psychosocial needs, both formally or informally. Results yielded
recommendations for local psychosocial providers to adjust their marketing of services and
kinds of services offered as well as yielded recommendations for future academic research.
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Quirk, Lisa Erin. Caring for Cancer: Understanding the Access and Perceptions of Psychosocial Cancer Services in North Texas, thesis, December 2014; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699920/m1/2/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .