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Palliative radiotherapy knowledge among community family physicians and nurses
1Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Primary care physicians and nurses care for patients with advanced cancer and need to be aware of the role for palliative radiotherapy (PR).
Methods:
We surveyed 250 family physicians, family medicine residents, and nurses attending oncology educational symposia to determine their knowledge of PR.
Results:
The survey response rate was 59%, and most respondents (77%) were involved with the care of cancer patients. Many (58%) thought that their knowledge of PR was insufficient for their needs. Although bone metastasis and spinal cord compression were frequently recognized indications for PR, only 50% of other assessed indications for PR were correctly identified. Almost all respondents stated that they wanted to learn more about PR.
Conclusions:
More education regarding PR is required for primary care physicians and nurses caring for cancer patients.
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