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Perceptions of Hematology Among Palliative Care Physicians: Results of a Nationwide Survey
- Source :
- Journal of pain and symptom management. 62(5)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Context Palliative care integration for patients with hematologic diseases has lagged behind solid-organ malignancies. Previous work has characterized hematologist perspectives, but less is known about palliative care physician views of this phenomenon. Objectives To examine palliative care physician attitudes and beliefs regarding hematologic diseases, patient care, and collaboration. Methods A 44-item survey containing Likert and free-response items was mailed to 1000 AAHPM physician members. Sections explored respondent comfort with specific diagnoses, palliative care integration, relationships with hematologists, and hematology-specific patient care. Logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to compare parallel Likert responses. Free responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The response rate was 55.5%. Respondents reported comfort managing symptoms in leukemia (84.0%), lymphoma (92.1%), multiple myeloma (92.9%), and following hematopoietic stem cell transplant (51.6%). Fewer expressed comfort with understanding disease trajectory (64.9%, 75.7%, 78.5%, and 35.4%) and discussing prognosis (71.0%, 82.6%, 81.6%, and 40.6%). 97.6% of respondents disagreed that palliative care and hematology are incompatible. 50.6% felt that palliative care physicians’ limited hematology-specific knowledge hinders collaboration. 89.4% felt that relapse should trigger referral. 80.0% felt that hospice referrals occurred late. In exploring perceptions of hematology-palliative care relationships, three themes were identified: misperceptions of palliative care, desire for integration, and lacking a shared model of understanding. Conclusion These data inform efforts to integrate palliative care into hematologic care at large, echoing previous studies of hematologist perspectives. Palliative care physicians express enthusiasm for caring for these patients, desire for improved understanding of palliative care, and ongoing opportunities to improve hematology-specific knowledge and skills.
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_specialty
Palliative care
Referral
education
Context (language use)
Likert scale
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Physicians
Surveys and Questionnaires
Medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
General Nursing
Response rate (survey)
business.industry
Palliative Care
Hematology
Hospice and palliative medicine
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Family medicine
Respondent
Perception
Neurology (clinical)
Thematic analysis
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 18736513
- Volume :
- 62
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of pain and symptom management
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....592cef88685af491ac001e079dcdea79