Social services for cancer patients in the mobile tumour clinic.

ABSTRACT

The medical social services for cancer patients referred by doctors in provincial hospitals through the Mobile Tumour Clinic, Cancer Institute, Siriraj Hospital, were analyzed. The Mobile Tumour Clinic was started on June 15, 1977 and ended on August 14, 1985. Staffs of the Mobile Clinic consisted of a pathologist, surgeon, radiotherapist, medical oncologist, dentist, social worker and secretary. The Mobile Tumour Clinic visited and consulted on treatment of each patient with staff of provincial hospitals on 102 occasions. A total of 649 cancer patients were discussed, and 197 patients (30.35%) were referred to Siriraj Hospital for further treatment. One hundred and forty patients (71.1%) required a total of 446 medical social services. This figure was higher when compared with general cancer patients treated at Siriraj Hospital, who were not referred through the Mobile Tumour Clinic. This was due to patients having many problems before coming to Siriraj Hospital by themselves and after initial treatment at the provincial hospitals.