Provision of Lifestyle Recommendations to Cancer Patients: Results of a Nationally Representative Survey of Hematologists/Oncologists

Abstract

Adopting a healthy lifestyle during cancer treatment enhances patients' outcomes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current practices and attitudes adopted by hematologists/oncologists on providing lifestyle recommendations to cancer patients. The secondary objective includes a correlation between the hematologists/oncologists' sociodemographic with their provision of lifestyle recommendations to their patients. This prospective, cross-sectional study surveyed Lebanese hematologists/oncologists in five major Lebanese governorates. The questionnaire collected information on participants' demographics and personal lifestyle choices as well as practices and perceptions related to lifestyle recommendations provided to cancer patients. A total of 40 hematologists/oncologists practicing in Lebanon completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 33.3%. The top three recommendations that hematologists/oncologists provided to their patients include quit smoking (95%), increase your physical activity (92.5%), and improve your nutrition/diet (85%). The mean number of recommendations provided per hematologist/oncologist was 3.88 (± 1.067). These discussions were consistently provided during clinical encounters with patients. The most frequently reported barriers hindering patient education on lifestyle recommendations included practitioners' lack of time and knowledge and patients' advanced stages of cancer and lack of interest in the topic. Hematologists/oncologists perceived these recommendations to be beneficial to patients' mental health and performance status, while few of them identified other benefits. Only one statistically significant correlation was identified between hematologists/oncologists' sociodemographic and providing the lifestyle recommendations to their patients. To achieve higher quality patient-centered care, communication gaps between hematologists/oncologists and cancer patients should be addressed, and solutions to identified barriers should be implemented.

Keywords: Cancer patients; Lifestyle recommendations; Physical activity; Smoking cessation; Survivorship plan.