Clinicians' experiences with cancer patients living longer with incurable cancer: a focus group study in the Netherlands

CONCLUSIONS: In the near future, PCPs will have an increasing number of patients living longer with incurable cancer. However, in a single PCP practice, the experience with incurable cancer patients remains low, partly because patients often prefer to stay in contact with their medical specialist. PCPs as well as medical specialists show concerns in how they can address this disease phase with the right care approach, including the appropriate label (e.g. palliative, chronic, etc.). They all preferred to be in contact early in the disease process, to be able to discuss and take care for the patients' physical and psychological well-being. Medical specialists can have an important role by timely referring their patients to their PCPs. Moreover, the disease label 'chronic' can possibly assist patients to live their life in the best possible way.PMID:37114726 | DOI:10.1017/S1463423622000500

Source: Primary Care - April 28, 2023 Category: Primary Care Authors: Hilde M Buiting Femke Botman Lilly-Ann van der Velden Linda Brom Florien van Heest Eva E Bolt Pieter de Mol Ton Bakker Source Type: research