Abstract
Background: Primary care physicians (PCPs) may face barriers to caring for hematologic malignancy and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors. Methods: A Web-based survey consisting of 40 questions and 2 case scenarios was administered to 302 PCPs at 2 large integrated health care systems. The questionnaire assessed perceived barriers to delivery of care to hematologic malignancy/HCT survivors, resources available to care for cancer survivors, practices for care coordination with hematologist-oncologists, and preferred models of care delivery. Results: Overall response rate was 30% (n = 86). PCPs reported several barriers such as lack of resources to facilitate care (69%), lack of awareness of screening/prevention guidelines (55%) and psychosocial needs of survivors (65%), inadequate time (65%), and patient preference to follow up with their oncologists (66%). They expressed confidence in caring for general medical issues (84%) and general cancer screening (73%), but they preferred that oncologists manage cancer-related medical issues (42%) as well as screen for cancer recurrence (52%) and secondary cancers (55%). In multivariable analysis, PCPs who had previously cared for a large number of hematologic malignancy/HCT survivors and those with a longer time since graduation from medical school had greater confidence in managing cancer-related medical issues. Conclusion: PCPs report several barriers in providing care to hematologic malignancy/HCT survivors. Clinical experience with this patient population is associated with greater confidence in providing survivorship care. Several barriers identified by PCPs in providing survivorship care to hematologic malignancy/HCT survivors are potentially addressable by education and clinical decision support tools and guidelines, thereby enhancing the patients’ clinical experience and care coordination with hematologist-oncologists.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 70-77 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukemia |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2020 |
Keywords
- Cancer survivor
- Care delivery
- Late complications
- Models of care
- Provider education
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Cancer Research