[Cancer in primary care in Vestfold in the year of 2000]

Developing high-quality patient-centred palliative care involving different professions in a local health care situation is a challenging task. It is difficult to establish co-operation on the allocation of resources to individual patients throughout the phases of disease. There are financial constraints, but also incongruities between the various levels of the health care system. Doctors' participation in cancer care is hidden in various tasks, and the contribution of GPs can be difficult to grasp. Patient-centred cancer care requires local co-operation; the intention in public health policy is to let the GP and the primary care nurse provide continuity of care, with the GP in the role of co-ordinator and organiser.

A postal questionnaire designed to survey GPs' own involvement in cancer care was sent to all 163 members of the Association of General Practitioners in Vestfold County, Norway.

Out of 146 active members, 109 (75%) responded. GPs are regularly personally involved in the care of cancer patients; a majority of the GPs in Vestfold County have long experience. 72 respondents would take over controls as a shared responsibility and 80 are ready to follow up patients who want to live in their own homes until the end. Selv-evaluation of competence in pain control is good in a minority (13-40%).

There is a sizeable potential for quality improvement in local palliative cancer care and in the vertical and horizontal communication between the professional groups involved.