While most cancer care physicians surveyed initiate contact with the bereaved family and caregivers of their patients who have died, more than two-thirds feel they did not receive adequate training in this area during their residency or fellowship, according to a study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting this week in Miami Beach, FL.
Dr. Aaron Kusano, a radiation oncology resident at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and colleagues examined the frequency and nature of bereavement practices among cancer care and palliative care physicians in the Northwest U.S. (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming). They also sought to identify factors and barriers associated with bereavement follow-up, and whether there were differences in practices by medical specialty.
Kusano's team conducted an anonymous online survey in the fall of 2010, which was completed by 162 attending radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and palliative care physicians who were directly involved in patient care.
The survey found that 70% of cancer care physicians were routinely engaged in at least one bereavement activity that they initiated. Sending a condolence letter was by far the most common form of follow-up, but other physician-initiated activities included calling families or attending a funeral service following a patient's death, the team found.
Several factors influenced a doctor's active follow-up, including being a medical oncologist (compared to radiation oncologists and palliative care physicians), having access to a palliative care program, and feeling the responsibility to write a condolence letter. The most commonly perceived barriers to bereavement follow-up were lack of time and uncertainty as to which family member to contact, Kusano's team discovered.
More than two-thirds of cancer physicians said they felt poorly trained in the area of bereavement practices, according to the researchers.
