Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Survivorship care plans (SCPs), including a treatment summary and follow-up plan, intend to promote coordination of posttreatment cancer care; yet, little is known about the provision of these documents by oncologists to primary care physicians (PCPs). This study compared self-reported oncologist provision and PCP receipt of treatment summaries and follow-up plans, characterized oncologists who reported consistent provision of these documents to PCPs, and examined associations between PCP receipt of these documents and survivorship care. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of medical oncologists (n = 1130) and PCPs (n = 1020) were surveyed regarding follow-up care for breast and colon cancer survivors. All statistical tests were two-sided. Multivariable regression models identified factors associated with oncologist provision of treatment summaries and SCPs to PCPs (always/almost always vs less frequent). RESULTS: Nearly half of oncologists reported always/almost always providing treatment summaries, whereas 20.2% reported always/almost always providing SCPs (treatment summary + follow-up plan). Approximately one-third of PCPs indicated always/almost always receiving treatment summaries; 13.4% reported always/almost always receiving SCPs. Oncologists who reported training in late- and long-term effects of cancer and use of electronic medical records were more likely to report SCP provision (P < .05). PCP receipt of SCPs was associated with better PCP-reported care coordination, physician-physician communication, and confidence in survivorship care knowledge compared to receipt of neither treatment summaries nor SCPs (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Providing SCPs to PCPs may enhance survivorship care coordination, physician-physician communication, and PCP confidence. However, considerable progress will be necessary to achieve implementation of sharing SCPs among oncologists and PCPs.
DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djt258
Authors: L. P. Forsythe, C. Parry, C. M. Alfano, E. E. Kent, C. R. Leach, D. A. Haggstrom, P. A. Ganz, N. Aziz, J. H. Rowland
Institutions: American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health, Regenstrief Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Health Services Research & Development, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Cancer Institute, Indiana University Indianapolis, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana University
Language: English
Topic: Cancer survivorship and care
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Award: G7667273404
OpenAlex ID: W2112552159