Survey

Dear Doctor,

Greetings!

Please spare a few minutes to read this letter.

The Centre of Psycho-oncology for Education and Research (COPER), Bangalore is an initiative of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and an associate of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore.

COPER is a pioneering effort in the country, established with avowed objective of establishing the field of Psycho-oncology through education, training, research and service.

In this regard COPER is conducting a survey (opinion poll) to understand from treating oncologists and cancer health care providers their views and opinions on the psychological issues of cancer patients. Given your vast experience in the field, we believe that your invaluable views and opinions will contribute significantly to our knowledge and understanding of the field and the prevailing scenario of psychosocial care in the country. This collective wisdom will pave the way for meaningful programs and initiatives in the field of Psycho-oncology and will enable us to translate them into effective psychosocial care for our patients.

We assure you of absolute confidentiality. We will not hold you to your opinion! Your views and opinions will not be published individually or by your name. The data will be used for scientific purposes and for planning programs and initiatives in the field of Psycho-oncology through COPER.

Below are given 12 questions, all you have to do is just put a tick mark in the box that best describes your view. If you do not wish to reveal your name or identity, skip the name box. This whole exercise should take you less than 5 minutes!

Please join us in this mission. Together we can make a difference!

Thanking you,

With warm regards,

Dr. Brindha Sitaram
Director
COPER

NEED FOR PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY: A NATION WIDE SURVEY.

Name	:		Age	:
Gender	:	Male Female	Qualification	:
Specialisation	:		Designation	:
Practising Hospital	:		City	:
Email-id	:		Country	:

1.	Do you think cancer patients and their families have psychological/ emotional problems?	:	Yes No
2.	What percentage of patients do you think experience psychological problems?	:
3.	How often in your practice you encounter patients with psychological distress?	:	Not at all Sometimes Quiet often More often than not.
4.	Most often, how are you aware of the psychological distress of patients?	:	I recognize the problem Patients report to me Through Family member(s) Hospital staff
5.	Do you feel comfortable dealing with the psychological issues of patients?	:	I feel very comfortable Somewhat comfortable Not at all comfortable
6.	Most often, what do you do when you notice or recognize the psychological problems of patients?	:	I handle it myself I refer them to a mental health professional I let the nurse or social worker deal with it I let a support group handle it I tell the family to take care of the patient’s problems I ignore it.
7.	Do you think that the psychological needs of patients are adequately addressed?	:	Yes No
8.	How important is the psychological well being of patients in the overall recovery and treatment of cancer?	:	Not at all important Some what important Very important.
9.	Do you think that psychosocial care must form an integral part of cancer care?	:	Yes No
10.	Does your hospital or place of practice have psycho-oncology service to address the psychological issues of patients?	:	Yes No
11.	Have you often felt the need to have a department of psycho-oncology to deal with the psychological issues of cancer patients?	:	Very often Sometimes Not at all.
12.	Do you think every cancer centre in the country must have a department of Psycho-oncology?	:	Yes No