Structuring survivorship care: discipline-specific clinician perspectives

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cancer Survivorship Care
• Healthcare Delivery Models

Background:

• Limited empirical research exists on oncology clinicians' perspectives regarding cancer survivorship care.
• Key areas of inquiry include preferred care models, essential services, and staff preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate oncology clinicians' perceptions of optimal cancer survivorship care models.
• To identify preferred services and delivery settings for survivorship programs.
• To assess clinicians' self-perceived preparedness for cancer survivor care.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was administered to clinical staff at a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center.
• The survey achieved a 49.8% response rate (N=377).
• Data analysis involved frequencies, relative frequencies, and pairwise statistical significance tests.

Main Results:

• The majority of respondents favored a disease-specific survivorship model (37.6%), particularly physicians and nurses.
• Medical treatment-related services (e.g., late effects) were preferred in disease-specific clinics.
• Ancillary services (e.g., nutrition, fertility) were preferred in centralized comprehensive clinics.
• Physicians reported greater access to information, training, and resources than nurses.

Conclusions:

• Oncology clinicians advocate for a hybrid survivorship care model integrating disease-specific and centralized comprehensive approaches.
• Successful survivorship initiatives necessitate increased resources, education, and training for clinical staff.
• A universally accepted definition of cancer survivorship is needed to support blended care models.