Findings from an educational support course for patients with leukemia

OBJECTIVES: Recent evidence indicates that patients with leukemia are a dis tinct subset of cancer patients with specific adjustment issues and special needs for support and follow-up. This article shares research findings on an Australian educational support course, appropriately named taking contro l, designed specifically for patients with leukemia and associated disorder s. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The material presented in this article represents th e findings from the retrospective arm of a descriptive study designed to ev aluate this course. Participants on the course during the calender year of 1997 were surveyed with an author designed self-report questionnaire reques ting feedback on their experiences of the course. RESULTS: Although the majority of participants were seeking information, th ere was strong evidence that the provision of information needs to be coupl ed with an understanding of the psychosocial reasons that motivated individ uals to attend the course. The findings indicate that the course is perceiv ed by participants to be effective psychosocial intervention for assisting patients and their families cope with the serious diagnosis of leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: Even through information seeking was an important reason for a ttending this educational course, there were many other significant emotion al concerns that individuals brought to the experience. When exposed to the stress of leukemia and its treatment, patients and their significant other s may become preoccupied with information gathering. Therefore, it is impor tant to not only explore the issue of the informational needs of participan ts, but also to examine the emotional needs they associate with this inform ation gathering. The hope and expectation about sharing the findings of thi s program is that it will assist with the development of similar programs e lsewhere and will stimulate further research on the importance of education al support groups in oncology.