Shifting specialized oncological care from hospital- to home-setting: is there support among patients, specialists and general practitioners?

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Oncological home-hospitalization (OHH) might be a patient-centred approach to deal with the increasing burden of cancer on health-care facilities and finances. Before implementation into practice, its feasibility, costs and support among stakeholders should be evaluated. The purpose of this trial was to explore patients’, specialists’ and general practitioners’ (GPs) perspectives towards the opportunities of implementing OHH within the Belgian health-care system.

Methods

A regional cross-sectional survey study was launched in order to investigate the stakeholders’ views on OHH and the current cancer care focusing on integration of primary care and continuous care.

Results

Of the responders, 37 out of 163 patients (23%), 45 of 62 GPs (73%) and 10 of 15 specialists (67%) feel positive about the opportunities for OHH. Nevertheless, 11/15 specialists (73%) and 51/62 GPs (82%) feel primary care might currently be (too) little involved in order to ensure continuous care for cancer patients. Opportunities for improved continuous care are seen in better communication between primary care and hospital, and more patient contacts for primary care during the cancer treatment process.

Conclusion

The results of this local survey study demonstrated there is support among different stakeholder groups for the implementation of OHH within the Belgian health-care context. However, some barriers impeding transmural continuous care should be tackled before implementing such model into practice. Better communication between health-care professionals and more patients contacts are suggested, and an adjusted legal and financial framework is required.

KEYWORDS:

• Cancer care
• home-hospitalization
• survey
• patients
• oncologists
• general practitioners

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by ‘Kom Op Tegen Kanker’ (Stand up to Cancer), the Flemish Cancer Society [registration number: KOTK 0014089], a non-profit organization stimulating innovative approaches to improve quality of life of cancer patients and their environment. The authors want to thank all participants for their cooperation to this survey study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by 'Kom op tegen Kanker' (Stand up to Cancer), the Flemish cancer society [KOTK 0014089].