Cancer survivors’ perspectives on delivery of survivorship care by primary care physicians: an internet-based survey

BMC Family Practice

Research Article

Linda A. Jacobs¹  Jun J. Mao²  Giang T. Nguyen²  Margaret K. Hampshire³  James M. Metz³  Ernestina Nyarko⁴ 

[1] Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA;Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, 227 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, 19104-6021, Philadelphia, PA, USA;Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA;Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA;Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA;Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA;Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA;

关键词: Cancer;    Survivor;    Perspective;    Primary Care;    Internet;    Survey;    Race;    Quality of Care;    Trust;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12875-015-0367-x

 received in 2014-11-20, accepted in 2015-10-09,  发布年份 2015

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHelping cancer survivors to transition from active treatment to long-term survivorship requires coordinated efforts by both oncologists and primary care physicians (PCPs). This study aims to evaluate cancer survivors’ perspectives on PCP-delivered survivorship care.MethodsWe conducted an Internet-based cross-sectional survey of cancer survivors via www.OncoLink.org. Regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with perception of PCP-delivered survivorship care.ResultsThe 352 respondents rated overall PCP-delivered survivorship care as 60 out of 100 (SD = 23). The areas of care most strongly endorsed were general care (62 %), psychosocial support (65 %), and holistic care (68 %). Survivors were less likely to perceive their PCPs as knowledgeable about cancer follow-up (43 %), late or long-term effects of cancer therapy (45 %), and diagnosis and treatment of symptoms related to cancer or cancer therapy (42 %). While 72 % of survivors reported satisfaction with their PCP’s care overall, only 41 % felt that their PCPs and oncologists communicated well with one another. In a multivariate regression analysis, higher trust in PCP (p < 0.001), non-white race (p = 0.001), living in the United States (p = 0.007), and visiting a PCP two or more times per year (p = 0.009) were significantly associated with higher ratings of PCP-delivered survivorship care.ConclusionsWhile cancer survivors in general are satisfied with care delivery by PCPs, they perceived that their PCPs have limited abilities in performing cancer-specific follow-up and late effect monitoring and treatment. Better education of family physicians about survivorship issues and improved communication between PCPs and oncologists are needed to improve PCPs’ delivery of survivorship care.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Nyarko et al. 2015