The Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) has awarded a total of 5.5 million euro to ten Amsterdam UMC research groups for cancer research. One of the project proposals selected is entitled “Care4Fatigue: Understanding the discrepancy between the high prevalence of cancer-related fatigue and the limited use of supportive care” by principal investigator Prof. Hans Knoop (€ 454.627). His team is dedicated to gain insight into the discrepancy between the high prevalence of cancer-related fatigue and the limited use of evidence-based care.
Cancer-related fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom among cancer survivors. While evidence-based interventions for fatigue exist, only few patients use the available care. The reasons for this are unclear.
The Care4Fatigue project, awarded to Hans Knoop (Medical Psychology), is dedicated to gain insight into the discrepancy between the high prevalence of cancer-related fatigue and the limited use of evidence-based care. Knoop will conduct this project with colleagues from Amsterdam UMC, Fabiola Müller, Annemarie Braamse and medical oncologist Hanneke van Laarhoven, and from the UMCG, Mariët Hagedoorn.
The project will try to find predictors and determinants that play a role in the process from symptom to care use. All relevant stakeholders -patients, their partners and health care providers- will be involved. The collected data will help to identify predictors of care need and care seeking, to compare characteristics and preferences of survivors who do and who do not use care and to outline perceived barriers and facilitators in seeking and actually using care.
Insights gained through this study are expected to improve screening for patients in need for care and improve care delivery, better use of existing care and reduction of barriers of care use.
Hans Knoop
Fabiola Müller
Annemarie Braamse
Hanneke van Laarhoven