AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Ten years ago, a program of intervention by
volunteers in cancer hospitals and at home was started. Home care is accomplished
by teams of palliative care givers, in which volunteers are included. After
a selective interview, all voluntary candidates with the necessary qualifications
are trained and specific apprenticeship is done. Hence, their professional
training is carried out through regular groups of supervision followed
by a psychologist and a coordinator. A study was carried out to evaluate
the activity of volunteers, in the hospital and at home, as judged by patients,
nurses and the volunteers themselves. METHODS: On the whole, the data analyzed
concerned 216 patients, 163 nurses and 92 volunteers in the hospital and
30 patients, 16 nurses and 35 volunteers at home. The questionnaires used
for the study had four possible answers (no, a little, much, very much)
or required an answer on a scale of 0 to 10. RESULTS: A high quota of patients
gave a very positive opinion ("much" or "very much") on the importance
of the presence of volunteers in the hospital (76%) and at home (90%).
In the second case, volunteers were particularly useful to improve a patient's
mood (80%) and to solve practical problems (47%). General agreement was
noted among nurses and volunteers on the activity of the latter. The main
form of intervention of all volunteers is to give psychosocial support
to patients. A score of 7 to 10 was given to this item by 60% of the nurses
and by 82% of the hospital volunteers. At home, respectively 80% and 89%
gave such a score for the same item. Other activities of the volunteer
were support for the family, assistance in social activities, and to give
information. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the volunteer in the hospital
and at home appears to be helpful to the patient and the family by becoming
part of the team without becoming involved directly in its clinical activity.