‘I had to tell my GP I had lung cancer’: patient perspectives of hospital- and community-based lung cancer care
Tara Nababan
A C , Anke Hoskins A , Emily Watters A , Jeanie Leong B , Christobel Saunders A and Neli Slavova-Azmanova A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Cancer and Palliative Care Research and Evaluation Unit, Medical School, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
B Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, WA 6000, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: Taranababan1@gmail.com
Australian Journal of Primary Health 26(2) 147-152 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY19191
Submitted: 11 October 2019 Accepted: 11 January 2020 Published: 15 April 2020
Abstract
Lung cancer care spans both hospital- and community-based healthcare settings, and suboptimal communication between healthcare providers impacts on continuity and quality of care. Patients’ experiences regarding: (1) communication between healthcare providers; and (2) the role of their GP during cancer treatment was explored in interviews with 47 Western Australian lung cancer patients. Thematic analysis using a phenomenological approach was undertaken to derive key themes regarding participant experiences. Poor communication between hospital cancer specialists (HCSs) influenced participants’ treatment choices and perceptions of the quality of their care. Information provided by HCSs to GPs was often delayed or incomplete, and many participants perceived themselves as a messenger between healthcare settings. Participants’ opinions about the GP role during cancer treatment ranged from ‘no role’ to an ‘active member of the treating team’. A new model of cancer care is needed where the GP is considered part of the treating team. Early involvement of GPs and two-way communication between hospital and primary care during the disease continuum is required for this to occur.
Additional keywords: communication, qualitative study, supportive care, Western Australia.
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