Utilization of Psychosocial Oncology Services by Oral Cancer Patients According to their Minority Language Profile in Montreal area.

Several patients with oral cancer experience psychosocial distress during their care trajectory, and even afterwards. In recent years, psychosocial oncology services (SOP) have been implemented in many hospital centers to support cancer patients with emotional, psychological, or social support needs. The use of SOP by patients with oral cancer has not yet been documented, which hinders monitoring and continuous improvement of care. In Quebec, shortages of healthcare personnel, persistent barriers to distress screening, and stigma surrounding the use of mental health services may influence the use of SOP in oral oncology, especially among the anglophone minority where difficulties accessing healthcare and mental health services have been reported. Our objective is to generate surveillance data on the use of SOP by patients and survivors of oral cancer, according to their official linguistic status in Quebec. Therefore, we are conducting a retrospective study based on data from real patients with oral cancer who are followed in one of the major hospital centers in Montreal. In addition to sociodemographic and clinical data, francophone and anglophone patients will be compared on the rate of referral to the psychosocial oncology department, the delay and response rate to these requests, and the type of SOP received. Analyses will be conducted to explore factors related to potential differences in SOP utilization between francophone and anglophone patients. Communicating our data to healthcare providers and policymakers will help them review their policies and strategies to promote comprehensive care for patients in oral oncology while ensuring equitable access to services between linguistic minorities and majorities.