ATTITUDES OF CANADIAN ONCOLOGY PRACTITIONERS TOWARD PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS IN CLINICAL AND RESEARCH SETTINGS IN WOMEN WITH BREAST-CANCER

The aim of this study was to survey Canadian oncology practitioners' a ttitudes toward psychosocial concerns and issues in women with breast cancer. Surveys were mailed to 351 medical, radiation and surgical onc ologists and 375 oncology nurses. Standard questionnaires assessed att itudes towards psychosocial issues in women with primary and metastati c breast cancer and evaluated the practitioners' willingness to refer women to psychosocial intervention trials in the presence and absence of competing drug trials. Responses were obtained from 74% of those su rveyed. Respondents reported being aware of the common occurrence of p sychosocial problems in women with metastatic breast cancer, however, physicians were less likely than nurses to offer these women psychosoc ial support on a prophylactic basis (p < 0.0001) and they expressed gr eater concern than nurses about scientific validity of(p = 0.0003), an d potential psychological damage from (p = 0.005), psychosocial suppor t groups. Nurses were more likely than physicians to favour a study in vestigating group psychosocial support over competing drug studies (p less than or equal to 0.003) in the metastatic setting. Physicians wer e less likely than nurses to deal with weight problems prophylacticall y in women with primary breast cancer (p = 0.0009) and they expressed greater concern over scientific validity of psychosocial interventions addressing weight than nurses (p = 0.0008); nurses were more concerne d about excessive expectations of patients regarding potential benefit s of such interventions (p < 0.0001). Regardless, nurses were more lik ely than physicians to favour a psychosocial intervention study focuse d on weight management over drug studies in pre-(p = 0.0006) and postm enopausal women (p = 0.05) with primary breast cancer. Canadian oncolo gy practitioners are aware of the common occurrence of psychosocial di stress in women with breast cancer. Physicians and nurses assigned dif fering priorities to psychosocial interventions in both clinical and r esearch situations. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.