Adjustment and coping strategies among the caretakers of cancer patients.

The problem of emotional "burn-out" among health care professionals who work with cancer patients is a significant clinical issue. An interdisciplinary group of these health care service providers participated in a workshop aimed at identifying the major stresses which contribute to emotional "burn-out." While some of these stresses are unavoidable aspects of cancer treatment programs, participants also identified a set of coping strategies which seem helpful in reducing caretaker vulnerability to severe emotional exhaustion in oncology treatment settings.