Danish general practitioners only play a minor role in the coordination of cancer treatment

TY - JOUR

T1 - Danish general practitioners only play a minor role in the coordination of cancer treatment

AU - Dalsted, R.J.

AU - Guassora, A.D.

AU - Thorsen, T.

PY - 2011/1

Y1 - 2011/1

N2 - INTRODUCTION: Despite initiatives to integrate treatment and care across organisations, patient trajectories in Danish health-care are not well coordinated. Coordination among many health-care professionals is essential, and it is frequently suggested that a single person should perform the task of coordination. The aim of the article is to discuss whether general practitioners (GPs) may play a coordinating role for individual patients in Danish cancer treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study is based on individual interviews and focus groups analyzed by meaning condensation. RESULTS: The GP's potential to coordinate patient trajectories was limited by lack of involvement of the GPs by other health-care professionals and lack of needed information. Furthermore, many patients do not regard their GP as a coordinator. Patients who contacted their GP during treatment typically had a close relationship with their GP prior to their cancer diagnosis. In cases with a more distant relationship, patients did not see a need for the GP's involvement. The majority of patients' trajectories were decided within hospitals. The level of information provided to GPs varied much between hospitals and wards. In the majority of cases, GPs had no access to information or were not informed about hospital decisions affecting the patients' trajectories, and they were therefore unable to perform a coordinating role. CONCLUSION: GPs only played a minor or no role at all as coordinators of individual cancer patient trajectories. The findings of the present study question the idea that coordination throughout the entire health-care system may be assigned to a single individual as the involved parties belong to different organizations with different goals, managements and economic resources

AB - INTRODUCTION: Despite initiatives to integrate treatment and care across organisations, patient trajectories in Danish health-care are not well coordinated. Coordination among many health-care professionals is essential, and it is frequently suggested that a single person should perform the task of coordination. The aim of the article is to discuss whether general practitioners (GPs) may play a coordinating role for individual patients in Danish cancer treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study is based on individual interviews and focus groups analyzed by meaning condensation. RESULTS: The GP's potential to coordinate patient trajectories was limited by lack of involvement of the GPs by other health-care professionals and lack of needed information. Furthermore, many patients do not regard their GP as a coordinator. Patients who contacted their GP during treatment typically had a close relationship with their GP prior to their cancer diagnosis. In cases with a more distant relationship, patients did not see a need for the GP's involvement. The majority of patients' trajectories were decided within hospitals. The level of information provided to GPs varied much between hospitals and wards. In the majority of cases, GPs had no access to information or were not informed about hospital decisions affecting the patients' trajectories, and they were therefore unable to perform a coordinating role. CONCLUSION: GPs only played a minor or no role at all as coordinators of individual cancer patient trajectories. The findings of the present study question the idea that coordination throughout the entire health-care system may be assigned to a single individual as the involved parties belong to different organizations with different goals, managements and economic resources

KW - care

KW - Continuity of Patient Care

KW - Denmark

KW - diagnosis

KW - Focus Groups

KW - GENERAL-PRACTICE

KW - GENERAL-PRACTITIONER

KW - general practice

KW - General Practitioners

KW - Humans

KW - methods

KW - Neoplasms

KW - organization & administration

KW - PATIENT

KW - Patient Care Team

KW - Patients

KW - Physician's Role

KW - Practice

KW - PRACTITIONERS

KW - Quality of Health Care

KW - Questionnaires

KW - Research

KW - semrap-2011-1

KW - standards

KW - statistics & numerical data

KW - Support

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1603-9629

VL - 58

SP - A4222

JO - Danish Medical Bulletin (Online)

JF - Danish Medical Bulletin (Online)

IS - 1

ER -