Breaking silence: a survey of barriers to goals of care discussions from the perspective of oncology practitioners.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the developed world, and yet healthcare practitioners infrequently discuss goals of care (GoC) with hospitalized cancer patients. We sought to identify barriers to GoC discussions from the perspectives of staff oncologists, oncology residents, and oncology nurses.

Methods

This was a single center survey of staff oncologists, oncology residents, and inpatient oncology nurses. Barriers to GoC discussions were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = extremely unimportant; 7 = extremely important).

Results

Between July 2013 and May 2014, of 185 eligible oncology clinicians, 30 staff oncologists, 10 oncology residents, and 28 oncology nurses returned surveys (response rate of 37%). The most important barriers to GoC discus

SUBMITTER: Piggott KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6368724 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature