Family physicians' perspectives regarding palliative radiotherapy.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Family Medicine

Background:

• Family physicians frequently encounter cancer patients, including those with advanced disease.
• However, their understanding of palliative radiotherapy indications and referral practices is not well-defined.
• Limited formal education in radiotherapy exists for family physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate family physicians' perspectives on palliative radiotherapy indications.
• To determine the influence of these views on patient referral patterns.
• To identify barriers to appropriate radiotherapy referral.

Main Methods:

• A 30-item questionnaire on radiotherapy knowledge and training was distributed to 400 family physicians in eastern Ontario.
• The survey assessed knowledge of palliative radiotherapy indications and physician referral habits.
• A response rate of 50% (172 surveys) was achieved.

Main Results:

• Physicians knowledgeable about palliative radiotherapy indications were significantly more likely to refer patients for treatment (P < 0.01).
• Difficulty contacting radiation oncologists correlated with lower referral rates (P < 0.01).
• Only 10% of surveyed physicians reported receiving radiotherapy education during medical training.

Conclusions:

• Many family physicians lack awareness regarding the efficacy of radiotherapy for common palliative cancer symptoms.
• Radiotherapy referral is strongly linked to physician knowledge and ease of consultation with radiation oncologists.
• Enhanced continuing medical education and improved interaction with radiation oncologists are crucial for optimizing palliative radiotherapy referrals.