Nurse-led Follow-up Care for Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Head and Neck Cancer
About this trial
This is an interventional supportive care trial for Head and Neck Cancer focused on measuring head and neck cancer, nurse-led care, follow-up care, professional-patient relations, psychosocial adjustment, quasi-experimental, prospective, quality of life
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosed with a primary head and neck tumour
- Absence of other cancers diagnosed
- Treatment with curative intent, all treatment modalities
- Treatment and 12 month follow-up planned in Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
- Able to speak, write and understand Dutch
- Cognitively able to give informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Actual psychiatric disease
- Actual alcohol addiction
- Known life expectancy of < 6 months
Sites / Locations
- Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
No Intervention
Experimental
comparison group
nurse-led consultation
Usual care Participants in the comparison group receive the usual care which consists of a 5 year medical routine control schedule based on the national guidelines, and - if appropriate - involvement of the dietician and the speech language therapist.During years one to five the routine control appointments are planned at a minimum of every 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 months respectively. Most patients who undergo a total laryngectomy have additional contact with an oncology nurse during their 6-8 weekly medical control visits at the outpatient clinic for approximately the first year of follow-up. All other head and neck cancer patients have no structured follow-up contact with an oncology nurse.
Interventional care Year 1 follow-up: 2-monthly medical control visit + 30 minute nursing consultation, to a minimum of 6 in year 1. No restrictions with regard to cancer stage, site or treatment modality. Intervention consist of standardised nursing consultations comprising a thorough needs assessment, supportive counseling, adequate referral to other care providers if necessary and improvement of the continuity of follow-up care. Goals: helping patients (and their partners) cope with the physical and psychosocial consequences of treatment and help them to gradually adjust to 'the life after', and into survivorship.