TRANSLATING PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE: GUIDELINES INTO ACTION

Clinical practice guidelines for the management of psychosocial distress in people with cancer have been produced in Australia and North America and these provide a framework for the provision of psychosocial care for patients with cancer and their families. However, psychosocial care is not yet a routine part of oncology care and within the psychooncology literature there is little practical advice about the best way to achieve this. This article describes a community-based approach to this challenge that builds on existing resources and responds to the concerns of those working in the field. It is proposed that this approach provides a way forward in translating evidence-based psychosocial care