Purpose: Palliative care (PC) training and integration with oncology care remain suboptimal. Current attitudes and beliefs of the oncology trainees regarding PC are not fully known. This study was undertaken in an attempt to address this issue.
Participants and methods: We conducted a survey to determine awareness of PC among graduate medical trainees at a comprehensive cancer center with an established PC program. One hundred seventy oncology trainees who completed$9 months of training in medical, surgical, gynecologic, and radiation oncology fellowships and residency programs during the 2013 academic year completed an online questionnaire. Descriptive, univariable, and multivariable analyses were performed.
Results: The response rate was 78% (132 of 170 trainees); 10 trainees without hands-on patient care were excluded. Medical (53 of 60 [88%]), gynecologic (six of six [100%]), and radiation oncology (20 of 20 [100%]) trainees reported more awareness of PC compared with surgical oncology (22 of 36 [61%]) trainees (P = .001). One hundred twelve of 122 (92%) perceived PC as beneficial to patients and families. One hundred eight of 122 (89%) perceived that PC can reduce health care costs, 78 (64%) believed that PC can increase survival, and 90 (74%) would consult PC for a patient with newly diagnosed cancer with symptoms. Eighty-two trainees (67%) believed a mandatory PC rotation is important. Trainees with previous exposure to PC rotations were more aware of the role of PC services than were trainees without PC rotation (96% [46 of 48] v 74% [55 of 74]; P = .005, respectively).
Conclusion: Surgical trainees and trainees without previous PC rotation had significantly less awareness of PC. Overall, trainees perceived PC as beneficial to patients and capable of reducing costs while increasing survival; they also supported early PC referrals and endorsed a mandatory PC rotation.
Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.