Oncologists' attitudes to treatment of cancer patients
Title:
Oncologists' attitudes to treatment of cancer patients
Author:
Gilbar, Ora Cohen, Ben-Zion
Appeared in:
Death studies
Paging:
Volume 19 (1995) nr. 4 pages 303-313
Year:
1995-07-01
Contents:
This study, based on questionnaire responses of 46 Israeli oncologists, explores the factors influencing these physicians' beliefs and decisions regarding chemo and radiation therapy. A simple discriminant analysis identified five physician-related variables with a significant impact on the subjects' attitudes to treatment: age, sex, years of oncology experience, pity for the patient, and whether they believed all cancer patients suffer from pain. In the absence of an unambiguous clinical protocol, the major influences on decisions to treat with chemo-or radiation therapy include, in addition to diagnosis, the patient's overall health, the physician's perception of treatment effectiveness, ad the stage to which the illness Ims progressed. The discussion of the findings centers on their implications for practice.
Journal description