Communication between family physicians and oncologists: qualitative results of an exploratory study

To study communication between family physicians (FPs) and oncologists, and to look at the factors that may influence FP involvement in cancer care.

This survey design uses a qualitative methodology, where the data are analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.

This was a multisite study using 14 focus groups of FPs, followed by structured telephone interviews with 116 FPs in 6 different Canadian provinces.

Interview questions were used to explore the actual and desired roles of FPs in cancer care, and the quality of communication with oncologists with reference to a particular cancer patient in the FPs' practice.

Physicians providing cancer care must consider complex psychosocial and biomedical factors, more so than with other chronic diseases, and so written communication alone is inadequate. Family physicians require face-to-face and/or telephone communication with the oncologist to negotiate their respective roles, and to discuss the patient's prognosis and the effectiveness of proposed treatments. Family physicians expressed a desire to become more involved in all stages of cancer care in both the biomedical and psychosocial aspects, and to help better define their roles throughout the illness trajectory.

These results suggest opportunities to improve the communication, coordination and comprehensiveness of shared cancer care provided by family physicians and oncologists in different clinical settings.