Skip to main content
For oncology and psycho-oncology clinics

Can the cancer team see who needs psychosocial attention?

A returned score is not the end of the job. Cancer services need to see who needs psychosocial attention, why, who owns the next step, what has happened, and whether the person is getting better.

Lirena / assessment preparationIllustration

At a glance

Detect. Understand. Review again.

  1. Detect

    Distress screen plus mood context

  2. Drivers

    Problem domains, fear, needs, sleep, money

  3. Review

    Clinician-owned next step and follow-up

Synthetic planning example for a cancer service. No patient records or clinical conclusions are shown.
The work before the review

A clinically important result should not sit unused in the record.

Distress, mood, fear of recurrence, unmet needs and financial strain often arrive as separate forms. Without a shared view of who is waiting, what the scores point to and who is responsible, elevated results become another number. Start with a closed loop: detect, establish drivers, review, and look again.

  • Detect distress
  • Establish drivers
  • Review change over time
From selection to review

A clear purpose for every step.

Start with the information your clinicians need. Use these steps to plan the questionnaire work around the consultation.

  1. 01

    Detect who needs attention

    Use a brief distress screen and supporting mood measures so the team can see who is asking for help. A screening cutoff is evidence for clinician consideration, not a diagnosis.

  2. 02

    Establish what is driving the problem

    Problem domains, fear of recurrence, unmet needs, sleep, fatigue, body image, cognition and financial strain answer different questions. Choose the smallest set that explains the person's situation.

  3. 03

    Keep ownership and change in view

    Returned forms stay with the responsible clinician. Repeat the same measures when you need to see whether the person is improving. Lirena does not assign care or decide clinical risk.

A considered selection

What each measure brings to the review.

Browse the relevant catalogue →

These measures support a psychosocial loop in cancer care. Compare what each contributes. Scores remain screening or outcome evidence for a clinician, not diagnoses or treatment plans.

Distress Thermometer

NCCN Distress Thermometer

A 0-10 distress screen for the past week, including today. Published oncology screening evidence commonly uses 4 or greater as a prompt for clinician review.

A distress rating is a screen, not a psychiatric diagnosis. Pair it with the problem list when you need to see what is driving the score.

Read Distress Thermometer catalogue details →

Depressive symptom frequency over two weeks. In cancer populations, screening evidence around a total of 8 is a prompt for clinician review rather than a diagnosis of depression.

Review item 9 directly under local protocol. Lirena does not monitor responses in real time or decide clinical risk.

Read PHQ-9 catalogue details →
Why Lirena?

A practical starting point for your service.

Start with the closed loop, not a test library

The featured measures exist so a cancer team can detect distress, see likely drivers and review change. They are not a catalogue to send in full by default.

Keep screening evidence distinct from diagnosis

Oncology-specific cutoffs are published screening metadata tied to a population and purpose. They never mean the person has a disorder, a prognosis or an AI risk score.

Compare plan terms and review the security information with your team. Instrument rights and administration requirements are separate considerations.

Before you decide

Your team's questions, answered.

Assessment purposes, clinical responsibilities and the next step for your service.

Does a Distress Thermometer score of 4 diagnose psychiatric illness?

No. A score of 4 or greater is published screening evidence that a clinician should review the person and the problem list. It is not a diagnosis.

Does PHQ-9 or GAD-7 diagnose depression or anxiety in cancer care?

No. Oncology screening evidence around a total of 8 is a prompt for clinician consideration. Diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment decisions remain with the responsible clinician.

Will Lirena predict survival, treatment success or psychiatric risk?

No. Lirena does not claim survival benefit, predict treatment outcome, diagnose a disorder or produce an AI psychiatric risk score. It supports assignment, collection, deterministic scoring, clinician review and export.

Do we have to send every oncology measure to every patient?

No. Start with the distress screen and add driver measures that answer the clinical question. The smallest defensible set is better than a default battery.

How do we choose a plan for our clinic?

Compare the current plans on the pricing page. Bring your expected assessment volume, required measures and review process to a call if you need help choosing.

What happens after Get Started or Book Call?

Get Started takes you to account setup. The Free plan requires no card. Book Call lets you choose a time to discuss your clinic's workflow. Please bring measure names and process questions, without patient records or responses.

Your next step

Give the cancer team a psychosocial loop they can run.

Bring the measures you already use. Talk through detection, drivers, ownership and follow-up before choosing a plan.

← Explore all nine clinic types