Janet Papadakos1,2,3, Diana Samoil4, Charles Catton5, Edward Kucharski6,7, Andrew Matthew8,9, Naa Kwarley Quartey4, Meredith Elana Giuliani4,5,10. 1. Cancer Health Literacy Research Centre, Cancer Education, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada. Janet.Papadakos@uhnresearch.ca. 2. Patient Education Program, Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. Janet.Papadakos@uhnresearch.ca. 3. Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Janet.Papadakos@uhnresearch.ca. 4. Cancer Health Literacy Research Centre, Cancer Education, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada. 5. Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada. 6. Primary Care Program, Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. 7. Casey House, Toronto, ON, Canada. 8. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada. 9. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 10. Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The rapidly increasing number of prostate cancer survivors in tandem with a forthcoming shortage of oncology specialists in our health system poses a barrier to ensuring that high-quality survivorship care is available to support this population. As such, there is a need to consider ways to optimize survivorship care, while taking health system constraints into account. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of survivorship self-management between oncology specialists, primary care providers (PCPs), and survivors themselves. METHODS: A single cross-sectional survey, relating to how prostate cancer survivorship care could be improved, was administered to each group. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-three participants (N = 206 survivors, N = 10 oncology specialists, N = 27 PCPs) completed the study survey. Most PCPs (90%) and oncology specialists (84%) perceived that an opportunity for prostate cancer survivors to have an expanded role in their care would be beneficial. Nearly half (49%) of survivors reported that it would be beneficial to have an expanded role in their survivorship care with only 11% indicating that it would not be beneficial at all. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to developing this model involve limited oncology specialist time to execute survivorship plans, limited communication between oncology specialists and PCPs, and a lack of primary care and survivor education targeted specifically to prostate cancer survivorship.
PURPOSE: The rapidly increasing number of prostate cancer survivors in tandem with a forthcoming shortage of oncology specialists in our health system poses a barrier to ensuring that high-quality survivorship care is available to support this population. As such, there is a need to consider ways to optimize survivorship care, while taking health system constraints into account. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of survivorship self-management between oncology specialists, primary care providers (PCPs), and survivors themselves. METHODS: A single cross-sectional survey, relating to how prostate cancer survivorship care could be improved, was administered to each group. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-three participants (N = 206 survivors, N = 10 oncology specialists, N = 27 PCPs) completed the study survey. Most PCPs (90%) and oncology specialists (84%) perceived that an opportunity for prostate cancer survivors to have an expanded role in their care would be beneficial. Nearly half (49%) of survivors reported that it would be beneficial to have an expanded role in their survivorship care with only 11% indicating that it would not be beneficial at all. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to developing this model involve limited oncology specialist time to execute survivorship plans, limited communication between oncology specialists and PCPs, and a lack of primary care and survivor education targeted specifically to prostate cancer survivorship.
Authors: Frances J Drummond; Mary Reidy; Christian von Wagner; Vicki Livingstone; Jonathan Drennan; Mike Murphy; Colin Fowler; Mohamad M Saab; Mairin O'Mahony; Josephine Hegarty Journal: Health Lit Res Pract Date: 2019-07-19