Will Chinese oncologists refer cancer survivors to psychological support for survivorship care? A cross-sectional survey.

Authors

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Lingyun Sun

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Lingyun Sun , Yufei Yang , Xia Wang , Dongmei Chen , Jun J. Mao

Organizations

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Xiyuan Hospital China Academy of Chinese Medicine Science, Beijing, China, Xiyuan Hospital China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China

Research Funding

NIH

Background: Cancer survivors often experience substantial psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression, due to cancer diagnosis and treatment. As psychological support is still not a standard part of survivorship care in China, little is known about Chinese oncologists’ attitudes towards referring cancer survivors to this service. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among oncologists who were attending the 18th annual meeting of Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO, September 16th - 20th 2015) in Xiamen, China. Participants voluntarily completed a questionnaire measuring their demographics and occupational information. The outcome variable was willingness to refer cancer survivors to psychological support. We used a multivariate logistic regression model to evaluate the factors associated with such willingness. Results: Among 351 responders, 53% were male, with a mean age of 38±9 years. Half of the oncologists were senior attendings, 34% were junior attendings, and 17% were residents. More than half of the physicians (58%) had an additional Masters or PhD degree. The majority of oncologists (263, 79%) were willing to refer their patients to psychological support as part of survivorship care. Physicians over 40 years old were more likely to recommend psychological support than their younger colleagues (85% versus 76%, p = 0.048). In multi-variable logistic regression model, controlled by gender and education level, physicians > 40 years were associated with more willingness to refer their patients to psychological support than physicians ≤ 40 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.9, 95% confidential interval [C.I.]1.4-6.1, p= 0.01); compared to residents, junior attendings were more likely to recommend psychological support (OR 2.8, 95% C.I. 1.1-7.1, p= 0.03). Conclusions: The majority of Chinese oncologists were willing to refer cancer survivors for psychological support; age and position appeared to impact such willingness. By further educating young Chinese oncologists about the importance of psychological care during survivorship, we can help develop a health care delivery system that better meets Chinese cancer survivors’ psychosocial needs.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2017 Cancer Survivorship Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session B: Late- and Long-term Effects/Comorbidities, Psychosocial Issues, and Recurrence and Secondary Malignancies

Track

Late- and Long-term Effects/Comorbidities,Psychosocial Issues,Recurrence and Secondary Malignancies

Sub Track

Psychological and Social Well-being

Citation

J Clin Oncol 35, 2017 (suppl 5S; abstr 196)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2017.35.5_suppl.196

Abstract #

196

Poster Bd #

G11

Abstract Disclosures

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