Priority setting in patients with cancer and comorbidities
Background and aim
As both the cancer incidence and the number of patients diagnosed with chronic diseases are increasing, a growing population of cancer survivors will also deal with comorbid chronic diseases. The period after completed cancer treatment, where patients are transitioning to survivorship, might be a vulnerable time. Uncertainty about health status, physical- and emotional symptoms from cancer disease and treatment, and perhaps uncertainty about which doctor to consult, might influence patients’ priorities and attention to comorbidities. Some studies show that participation in regular follow-up consultations concerning comorbid chronic diseases and lifestyle are lower among cancer survivors than non-cancer patients. This could be explained by changes in the patient’s priority setting or in the doctor’s priority and attempt to spare the patient for further treatment burden, perhaps resulting in comorbidities falling down the agenda. The overall purpose is to explore patients’ and doctors’ priority settings of comorbidities in patients who have been diagnosed with non-metastatic cancer.
Method: The study will consist of three datasets: 1) video recordings of consultations in general practice, 2) semi-structured interviews with patients who have a chronic disease and who have recently finished primary treatment for a non-metastatic cancer, 3) semi-structured interviews with general practitioners. Video recordings will be analyzed with a focus on implicit and explicit priority setting in the interaction between physician and patient. The interviews will focus on priority settings of diseases and on perspectives and focus on chronic disease after a cancer treatment.
Results: The data-collection has started and results will be coming up during the next months.
Conclusion: The project will contribute with suggestions on how to improve overall health and quality of life for patients who have survived primary cancer treatment for a non-metastatic cancer and who have comorbid chronic diseases.
Conflicts of interest: None.