Development and pilot testing of a psychoeducational intervention for oral cancer patients

Objective : Oral cancer elicits considerable distress in both the pre and post‐treatment periods. This paper details the development, validation and pilot‐testing of a psychoeducational intervention for oral cancer patients. Method : An educational booklet covering information about oral cancer and its treatment and effective coping strategies was developed by a multi‐disciplinary team. It was evaluated by patient focus groups and content/educational experts, delivered to subjects in pre and post‐operative presentations by a health educator, and pilot‐tested in a randomized controlled trial versus standard care. Results : Pilot data from 19 subjects (10 psychoeducation, nine standard care) indicates that the intervention is feasible and highly acceptable. At follow‐up the intervention group showed a gain in knowledge, less body image disturbance, lower anxiety and a trend toward higher wellbeing. Conclusion : This program, which is currently being evaluated in a larger RCT with extended follow‐up, should prove useful in reducing the psychosocial burden of oral cancer and its treatment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.