The United States and Hungary: An Exchange of Best Practices in Psychosocial Oncology

Abstract

The National Association of Social Workers' Social Workers Across Nations' program provided an opportunity, with funding from an unrestricted educational grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, to engage Hungarian social workers and other mental health and medical practitioners in an exchange of best practices in psychosocial oncology. A Summit meeting held in Hungary was the first organized networking opportunity for these professionals to begin to address difficulties in providing psychosocial care to individuals with cancer and their families. Through a Delphi process, participants identified 10 areas in which action was most needed—such as improving communication between patients and families; and between patients, families, and health-care professionals; and continuing to build a network between professionals and organizations, increasing public awareness of available cancer treatments and psychosocial services. This type of Summit meeting could be replicated in other countries that face similar high mortality rates from cancer and where the social work profession is growing.

KEYWORDS:

• best practices
• Hungary
• International exchange
• oncology social work
• psychosocial oncology