While psychological distress in cancer patients is common, little is known about how general practitioners assess distress.
READ FULL ARTICLE
From Wiley Online Library
Five themes were observed among general practitioners (GPs) assessing patients with cancer for psychological distress, according to an article posted online in the European Journal of Cancer Care.
The study focused on seven GPs who were interviewed regarding their experiences with assessing psychological distress in patients.
The first theme was Being in a Relay. In this category, GPs viewed the assessment of distress as being like a relay race baton, with different health care professionals comprising the team. The GPs reported being most involved at diagnosis and in the palliative phase.
The second theme compared the assessment process to being in a relationship. The connection was the doctor-patient relationship, which was viewed as being a strong facilitator to assessment for distress.
The third theme was Being Skilled. In this theme, the GPs perceived themselves to be skilled enough at assessment to adopt a patient-centered approach.
The fourth theme involved barriers and was termed Being Challenged. This theme identified obstacles GPs faced when performing psychological assessments. The challenges included the GPs’ personal emotions, patient-related factors, time, and family (presented as a duality of barrier and facilitator).
The fifth theme was the Intruder in the Room. GPs did not perform validated screenings because they viewed the assessment as an intruder in the doctor-patient relationship.
The study suggests future research focus on objective assessments of GPs and their usage of distress assessments.
While psychological distress in cancer patients is common, little is known about how general practitioners assess distress.
READ FULL ARTICLE
From Wiley Online Library
You’ve read {{metering-count}} of {{metering-total}} articles this month.
We want you to take advantage of everything Cancer Therapy Advisor has to offer. To view unlimited content, log in or register for free.
{{login-button}} {{register-button}}
Want to view more content from Cancer Therapy Advisor?
Register now at no charge to access unlimited clinical news, full-length features, case studies, conference coverage, and more.
{{login-button}} {{register-button}}
Please login or register first to view this content.