Psychosocial Management of Distress in Interventional Radiology Patients with Cancer

Cancer patients experience a wide variety of psychosocial stresses which greatly influence their quality of life. Consistent evaluation and management of the psychosocial wellbeing of cancer patients not only improves patient outcomes but also strengthens relationships between staff and patients and increases staff satisfaction. This article will review the use of a Distress Tool to evaluate and quantify patient psychosocial distress, describe psychosocial interventions to be made within the interventional radiology clinic setting and discuss when to refer patients to an outside psychosocial professional.

Keywords: cancer patient, psychosocial distress, interventional radiology