title: Psychologists' views of inter-disciplinary psychosocial communication within the cancer care team.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about how psychologists working in cancer care centres communicate clinical information to other members of the multidisciplinary team or what information is communicated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study surveyed Australian cancer care psychologists regarding their communication practices and their views on barriers to and facilitators of effective inter-disciplinary communication.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychologists were invited to complete an online survey containing purpose-designed items that addressed study aims.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four psychologists completed the survey. Psychologists' most common method of recording initial consultations was in patient medical records, with 69 % of respondents recording notes in either most of the time or all of the time. Twenty-two percent of psychologists said they did not regularly feedback the results of an initial assessment to a referrer and more than 40 % used verbal and e-mail communication to do so.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides data that will assist in the development of guidelines for inter-professional communication between psychologists and other members of the cancer care team.
authors: Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-Based Decision-making, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia, belinda.thewes@sydney.edu.au.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Thewes
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Butow
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Davis
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Turner
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Mason
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003625:Data Collection; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D066275:Health Information Exchange / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011584:Psychology / Q000379:methods*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012938:Social Perception