Description

Sweden has had a National Cancer Rehabilitation Programme since 2014. This emphasises that all people with cancer have the right to individualised rehabilitation and that the contact nurse has an important role to play in identifying needs and ensuring evidence-based interventions throughout the cancer process to promote rehabilitation. The needs for optimised rehabilitation vary according to several parameters such as the person's personal circumstances and preferences, social support and type of cancer disease.

Despite this and a growing number evidence within this area cancer rehabilitation is often not integrated in clinical care. The current cancer care focuses on medical and treatment related interventions. It is a challenge for health services to find models to identify and meet the increased need for cancer rehabilitation in a systematic and structured way throughout the cancer process, based on the specific needs of each individual. This study aims to develop and evaluate a model for systematic and evidence-based cancer rehabilitation for people with esophageal and gastric cancer to provide conditions for a better quality of life and fewer cancer-related symptoms.