Professionals
Psycho-oncological Research
Psycho-Oncology
At the Department of Oncology psycho-oncological treatmentis an integrative part of the treatment during the different medical therapies and aftercare for both patients and relatives.
Teaching and Public Relations
Psycho-oncological concepts and consolidated findings will be taught in both lectures for internal medicine and in special seminars.
Focal points are:
- coping
- quality of life
- physician’s ability to communicate
- psychooncological interventions
- psychoneuroimmunology
For those who study psychology or train as clinical psychologists or psychotherapists there is the opportunity to do an internship at our department.
International Symposia
In 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2006 four international symposia were held in Graz, successfully organized by the Department of Oncology and the Austrian Platform of Psycho-oncology (www.oeppo.com). Many renowned experts from all over the world participated in these symposia.
Seminars and Workshops
Apart from that the clinical psychologists at our department offer workshops focusing on different topics for different target groups such as physicians, nurses, psychologists, patients and others:
- burn-out-prophylaxis
- communication
- how to deal with critically ill persons / how to deal with relatives
- how to deal with dying and death
- grief work
- preventive measures
- fatigue
- interdisciplinary communication
- quality of life
- indications for psycho-oncological treatment
Lectures
Lecturing on psycho-oncology at home and abroad is one further work element of our psychologists.The influence of the artistic design of the oncological ward at the University Clinic of Internal Medicine in Graz on the different parameters of subjective mood state (supported by the Cancer Patient Society) :
On the basis of three different measuring periods (before, right after and 10 years after the ward redesign by Friedensreich Hundertwasser) a significant improvement in emotional mood state, a fear reduction concerning the disease and a better subjective judgment of the course of the disease could be detected in all stationary patients surveyed.
How to efficiently measure the need of psychological support for oncology patients:
Until now there were only a few methods in clinical practice for the systematic selection of cancer patients in need of targeted psycho-social support. The survey aims at developing a simple and time economic screening instrument which evaluates the physical, mental and social stress of patients. This instrument shall be integrated into the clinical routine of an oncological-internal department in such a way that the need of treatment can be seen very early and thus the organizational effort remains low. Within the framework of the screening central symptoms and symptom groups (physical, mental, social) influencing the extent of the patients stress should be diagnosed. So the evaluation focuses on the efficacy of individual treatment methods for patients.
In a pilot study with regard to this question the reaction to psychological distress in 100 inpatients and outpatients was surveyed on the basis of the adapted “existential orientation thermometer” (J. Holland, USA), the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). After some modifications of semi-structured interviews another 148 patients were recruited. The results so far conform to the present state of research as about one third of the patients is highly stressed. Further methods for the use in everyday clinical routine are developed in cooperation the workgroup of psycho-oncology of the Medical University of Innsbruck (Holzner B.).
Perception of symptom intensity in palliative settings: patients, nursing staff, physicians, relatives in comparison:
The accuracy of perception of symptoms is very important for the effectiveness of care and treatment. In 2002, 41 inpatients (of different wards at the University Hospital) were surveyed with regard to self-perception and outside perception of actual symptoms in order to calculate differences in the perception of patients, nursing staff and physicians as well as relatives. Additionally, the survey wanted to find those factors related to the accuracy of perception. After some modifications and additional factors (e.g. influence of individual distress on the perception) another study was carried out in 2005 at the palliative unit. 50 patients were evaluated and the results were presented at the 4th International Psycho-oncological Congress in Graz. Further publications are worked on.
Psychological distress and coping in breast cancer patients: Influences of age, partnership and activities (occupation, leisure time): Project of the Austrian National Bank, Nr. 9038, supported by the Cancer Patient Society
The survey compared differences in and relations of occupational status, level of activity, family situation, coping strategies and psychological distress reactions of breast carcinoma patients and their partners between subjects in Graz, Austria and Jerusalem, Israel
Psychological distress and coping in breast cancer patients: Long-term effects and existential meaning (Project of the Austrian National Bank, Nr. 10766, supported by the Cancer Patient Society)
Long-term correlation of socio-demographic variables (age, partnership, occupation) and disease-related depression and fear as well as the extent of psychological distress, coping, quality of life, meaning of life and the 5-year-relapse-free-survival were evaluated in 210 breast cancer patients and 70 relatives (presently analyzed)
The influence of social support on gender-specific distress and coping in colorectal cancer patients – an intercultural randomized study between Graz and Jerusalem (Project of the Austrian National Bank, Nr. 11527, supported by the Cancer Patient Society
The aim of this project is to study the correlation of socio-demographic variables, medical basic data, social support (above all partnership), disease-related depression and fear and the extent of psychological distress, coping and quality of life (above all the gender aspect of colorectal cancer patients – half female, half male; half from Graz, half from Israel) at two measuring dates with an interval of six months.
Psychoneuro-immunology: Influence of a psycho-social group intervention on the T and NK Cell-Function in breast cancer patients (Project of the Austrian National Bank, Nr. 11179, supported by the Cancer Patient Society
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