“Receptivity”: An Important Factor Affecting Supportive Care Provision

Abstract

The research on psychosocial need provides the foundation informing the drive for the provision of supportive care services for patients and their families. The work on patient access, barriers to participation, and service evaluation are providing some insights that can help guide practitioners in their efforts to ensure that services designed to meet psychosocial need reach and involve the appropriate individuals. However, this direction is presently in its infancy leaving many questions unanswered. This article makes a contribution to advancing and strengthening this line of research through a fresh perspective on the topic provided by consumer research with individuals diagnosed with a hematological malignancy. The research was initiated and funded by the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland (LFQ) with the aim of exploring the experience of survivorship for individuals diagnosed with a hematological malignancy to inform supportive care service provision and development. The findings from the research posit the notion of “receptivity” as an important new concept that can contribute to the deepening of our understanding of the myriad of factors associated with effectively engaging with individuals in supportive care service provision.

KEYWORDS:

• receptivity
• qualitative research
• psychosocial oncology
• hematological malignancies

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the International Program of Psycho-Social Health Research team for their contribution to the study including Mr. Hamish Holewa, Ms. Nicole Rawson-Huff, Ms. Bo McGrath, Mr. Michael Bouwman, Ms. Mary Anne Patton, Mrs. Emma Phillips, and also Mrs. Barbara Hartigan, Ms. Beverley Mirilo, and Mrs. Maryanne Skarparis from the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland. The author would like to thank CQ University, where the data was collected, and Griffith University, where the findings were analyzed and written.