Addressing the concerns of end-of-life patients or their relatives about their family history of cancer could benefit patients and family members. Little is known about how palliative care providers respond to these concerns. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess palliative care providers' knowledge about familial and hereditary cancers and explore their exposure to patients' and relatives' concerns about their family history of cancer, and their self-perceived ability to deal with such concerns. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Quebec City (Canada) catchment area among palliative care professionals. Fifty-eight palliative care professionals working in hospice, home care and hospital-based palliative care units completed the questionnaire. All physicians and 63% of nurses occasionally addressed concerns of patients and relatives about their family history of cancer, but they reported a low confidence level in responding to such concerns. They also showed knowledge gaps in defining features of a significant family history of cancer, and most (78%) would welcome specific training on the matter. Our findings highlight the relevance of offering education and training opportunities about familial cancers and associated risks to palliative care providers. The needs and concerns of end-of-life patients and their families need to be explored to ensure palliative care providers can adequately assist patients and their relatives about their family history of cancer. Ethical implications should be considered.
A survey was conducted among palliative care providers from the province of Quebec (Canada) who attended the 2015 and 2017 yearly meetings of the Quebec Palliative Care Association. Eligible for this study were professionals involved in the provision of health care and services to endof-life cancer patients. Volunteers, spiritual care providers, music and pet therapists, recreation technicians, and health care managers without any medical background were not eligible as medical or health-related knowledge was necessary to understand and provide perspective on issues related to cancer family history. Researchers without clinical duties were also excluded as they are not likely to face questions regarding cancer family history from patients and relatives. An email containing a link to an online questionnaire was sent to 1191 meeting attendees in November 2016 with reminders in December 2016 and January 2017, and in May 2017 with two reminders in June 2017. The survey questionnaire was developed based on information provided by experienced palliative care providers during semi-structured interviews and then pretested with six providers. Respondents were asked to report the frequency at which they held discussions about cancer family history
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