Study on the development of cancer counseling centers in Germany in the context of the change in funding guidelines - KBSD21

Background and Introduction Funding anchored in law in 2020 should ensure quality-assured and area-wide psychosocial care for cancer patients and their relatives in cancer counseling centers (KBS). The aim of this study is to assess the development of KBS between 2019 and 2023 and to identify possible gaps. Methods Potential KBS facilities were asked to complete a questionnaire on the founding dates of main and branch offices and the number of counsellors. Results 127 out of 159 identified main KBS with 235 branch offices took part in the survey. Since the start of regular funding, 25 (+27%) KBS main offices and 94 (+66%) branch offices have been established. In 2019, an average of 1.8 full-time equivalents (FTE) were employed at a KBS. By 2023, this had risen to 2.4 (+33%) FTE. The total of all counsellors in the participating KBS rose from 171 to 293 (+71%) FTE. Discussion and conclusions Funding supported the establishment of new KBS and the increase of the average size of KBS significantly. In particular, the establishment of branch offices enables care to be provided close to home. Although this means that many regions of Germany are now adequately covered, this is not the case in some rural areas.