A clinical placement program for primary care professionals at a comprehensive cancer centre.
BACKGROUND
There is a growing number of cancer survivors and increasing interest in models of patient-centred shared care between oncology and primary care.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this article was to investigate whether a placement program for general practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) was feasible, of clinical and professional value, and facilitated knowledge and skills transfer.


METHODS
The program recruited GPs and GPNs to complete a 10-hour placement at a cancer centre. Participants completed pre-placement and post-placement semi-structured interviews.


RESULTS
The participants for the study included 16 GPs, 12 GPNs and nine oncologists. All generalists reported that the program's learning outcomes, personal learning needs and relevance to practice were 'entirely' or 'partially' met All would recommend the program and could identify knowledge and skills transfer; however, learning was largely by observation rather than participation. Learning opportunities were skewed towards generalists. Participants showed enthusiasm to address the challenges of providing shared care.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical placement program was feasible and highly regarded.
Judy
J
Evans
Linda
L
Nolte
Amanda
A
Piper
Liz
L
Simkiss
Kathryn
K
Whitfield
Michael
M
Jefford
D000328:Adult; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms; D010348:Patient Care Team; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors