Changing physicians' attitudes toward self-help groups: an educational intervention

Members of self-help groups (SHGs) for support of cancer patients are concerned that physicians are skeptical about these groups and see them as potentially harmful. The purpose of this study was to assess family physicians' attitudes towards self-help groups and see whether these could be changed through an educational intervention.

A questionnaire assessing attitudes toward SHGs was mailed to 1,422 eligible Ontario family physicians, to which 911 responded (64% response rate). Responders were sent an educational package consisting of an article about self-help groups, a list of local cancer self-help groups, and a follow-up questionnaire.

The study was completed by 584/911 family physicians (64%). After being exposed to educational material, the physicians were more positive about the helpfulness of SHGs (p = 0.021), and less concerned about SHGs' being harmful (p = 0.003). They were more positive about the potential for SHGs to provide participants with opportunities for: sharing information (p = 0.004), bonding with other patients (p < 0.001), feeling understood (p = 0.004), sharing common experiences (p = 0.004), providing hope (p < 0.001), sharing laughter (p = 0.001), becoming more assertive (p < 0.001), communicating with health professionals (p = 0.04), dealing with issues related to death and dying (p = 0.005), advocacy (p = 0.01), and overcoming isolation (p = 0.002). They were less concerned with the potential for SHGs to provide misinformation (p = 0.003), the negative effects of associating with the very ill (p = 0.002), dwelling on illness (p = 0.002), or cultivating false hope (p = 0.001).

Having family physicians complete a questionnaire, followed by educational material specific to their concerns, changed their attitudes toward self-help groups. Further study is needed to see whether behavioral changes resulted.