The role of the general practitioner in Shared Decision Making for cancer treatment

Abstract

The increasing number of treatment options for cancer patients creates the opportunity for patients to choose a treatment that best fits their preferences. Patient involvement is key for personalized cancer care and is enabled by shared decision making (SDM). However, in current practice, essential steps for SDM are impeded. To improve SDM, healthcare professionals and patients advocate for an increased role of the general practitioner (GP) after a cancer diagnosis. We investigated patients’ experiences with involvement of the patient and the GP in decision making for cancer treatment. Our research showed that patients’ experiences with patient and GP involvement in decision making do not always match their preferences. In addition, timely involvement of the GP was challenging, as the time between diagnosis and treatment decision was often too short. In addition, patients’ and physicians’ experiences with GP involvement were mainly positive and GP involvement was considered as of added value for reflection on diagnosis and SDM. However, patient and (timely) GP involvement needs improvement. To tailor cancer care to patients' preferences, active exploration of patients’ preferences for patient and GP involvement is needed. Furthermore, adequate collaboration and information exchange between primary and secondary care is necessary to timely involve the GP after a cancer diagnosis.