Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jun 2005
The Supportive Care Task Force at the University of L'Aquila: 2-years experience.
The Supportive Care Task Force (SCTF) was established within the Medical Oncology Department at the University of L'Aquila in May 2002. The missions of the SCTF were to allow systematic evaluation and treatment of symptoms, to warrant continuity of care in all phases of disease and to provide medical oncology residents with training in the treatment of symptoms. A medical oncologist, two senior residents in medical oncology and a registered nurse comprised the SCTF. ⋯ We registered excellent results regarding the treatment of pain, nausea and dyspnea while psychological symptoms, anorexia and asthenia proved more difficult to treat. Two hundred twenty patients were discharged: 142 (49.8%) home; 76 (26.7%) to the Home Care Service and two (0.7%) to others units of the hospital. Sixty-five (22.8%) died in our unit.