Literature Review Highlights Unmet Holistic Care Needs in MM

By Andrew Moreno - Last Updated: September 5, 2024

A recent systematic literature review sought to clarify unmet needs of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and their caregivers. The results were presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.

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“Our study identified diverse unmet needs and potential solutions related to experiences of multiple myeloma patients and caregivers, largely focusing on the need for holistic care,” the review authors wrote.

The authors performed searches on PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (also known as PRISMA) guidelines and applied additional manual screening. They incorporated 72 articles, 46% of which were abstracts and 54% were manuscripts. Of the included content, 88% of the articles reported only on the patient experience, whereas 12% also included caregiver experiences.

According to the review, 54% of articles reported that patient needs related to supportive or holistic care and quality of life were not being met. Specifically, 6% of articles named unmet needs related to palliative or end-of-life care, 3% regarding frailty management, 2% regarding cachexia management, and 2% related to fatigue management.

“The dynamic nature of these needs should be considered while addressing gaps with future research,” the authors noted.

The most commonly proposed solution found in the review, appearing in 23% of the articles, was long-term or individualized supportive care services to address patients’ holistic needs. Among several other solutions suggested by individual studies were development of a short form of the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey, early introduction of palliative care, and e-health patient education and care.

Reference

Dahal R, Abdal Khader AHS, Kasire SP, et al. Unmet needs related to experiences of myeloma patients and their caregivers and potential solutions: a systemic literature review. Abstract #MM-039. Presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting; September 4-7, 2024; Houston, Texas.

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