Survivorship care after breast cancer: follow-up practices of Australian health professionals and attitudes to a survivorship care plan.
OBJECTIVE
The increasing number of breast cancer survivors and the complexity of follow-up care make the provision of high-quality survivorship care a challenge. This study explored the follow-up practices of health professionals and their attitudes to alternative models such as shared care and the use of a survivorship care plan.


METHODS
Specialist oncologists (surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists) breast physicians and breast-care nurses completed an online survey.


RESULTS
A total of 217 practitioners completed the survey, which was estimated to include 42.8% of oncologists treating breast cancer in Australia. One-third of responding specialists reported spending more than 25% of their clinical time providing follow-up care. They reported many positive aspects to follow-up consultations and viewed follow-up care as an important part of their clinical role but expressed concern about the sustainability of follow-up care in their practices. The follow-up intervals and recommendations were in line with national guidelines. The specialists were supportive of sharing follow-up care with primary-care physicians, breast physicians and breast-care nurses. Most professionals felt that a survivorship care plan would improve care and said they would use a proforma.


CONCLUSIONS
The oncologists felt that follow-up care was an important part of their role and they were supportive of the concepts of shared care programs and a survivorship care plan. Input from consumers is required to evaluate the acceptability of these alternative models and to assess ways of implementing these changes to work towards a more comprehensive and sustainable method of delivering survivorship care.
Brennan
Meagan E
ME
Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Mater Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. m.brennan@usyd.edu.au
Butow
Phyllis
P
Spillane
Andrew J
AJ
Boyle
Frances M
FM
D001315:Australia; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data