Cancer Care by Family Physicians - A Qualitative Study of Physician and Patient Views

This project was conducted between August 2001 and December 2001 and was funded by the AAFP Annual Clinical Focus. This qualitative study was conducted to understand the role of family physicians in care of their patients undergoing cancer treatment. We phone-interviewed 15 Network physicians and 15 of their patients under active cancer treatment. Physician interviews focused on their roles in cancer diagnosis, management, and care of cancer patients. Patient interviews concentrated on their satisfactions and frustrations with their family physician care. Interviews were completed in April 2002.  

Key Findings and Publications

Family physicians fulfill a number of important roles in caring for their patients with an active diagnosis of cancer. More research using representative samples is needed to determine the generalizability of these findings, but this study gives us some preliminary insight into the role family physicians play in cancer care.

Physician and Patient Views of Cancer Care by Family Physicians: A Study from the AAFP National Research Network. Hickner JM, Kent S, Naragon P, et al. Fam Med. 2007;39(2):126-131.