Survey of Medical Oncology Status in Korea (SOMOS-K): A National Survey of Medical Oncologists in the Korean Association for Clinical Oncology (KACO)

Abstract

PurposeThis study was conducted to investigate the current role of medical oncologists in cancer care with a focus on increasing the recognition of medical oncology as an independent specialty.Materials and MethodsQuestionnaires modified from the Medical Oncology Status in Europe Survey dealing with oncology structure, resources, research, and patterns of care given by medical oncologists were selected. Several modifications were made to the questionnaire after feedback from the insurance and policy committee of the Korean Association for Clinical Oncology (KACO). The online survey was then sent to KACO members.ResultsA total of 214 medical oncologists (45.8% of the total inquiries), including 71 directors of medical oncology institutions, took the survey. Most institutions had various resources, including a medical oncology department (94.1%) and a department of radiation oncology (82.4%). There was an average of four medical oncologists at each institution. Medical oncologists were involved in various treatments from diagnosis to end-of-life care. They were also chemotherapy providers from a wide range of institutions that treated many types of solid cancers. In addition, 86.2% of the institutions conducted research.ConclusionThis is the first national survey in Korea to show that medical oncologists are involved in a wide range of cancer treatments and care. This survey emphasizes the contributions and proper roles of medical oncologists in the evolving health care environment in Korea.

Current status of medical oncology in Japan and changes over the most recent 7-year period: results of a questionnaire sent to designated cancer care hospitals

“…However, the number of physicians per medical oncology department remained unchanged during the 7-year period, with a median value of 3 in both 2013 and 2020 and mean values of 4.9 and 5.2 in 2013 and 2020, respectively. This situation seems to be similar to that reported in South Korea, where 47.7% (32/68) of surveyed institutions had medical oncology departments with a mean number of physicians per department of 4 (ranging from 1 to 21) ( 11 ). In some medical oncology departments, the number of physicians per department changed drastically, either increasing or decreasing, during the 7-year period.…”

Surrogate decision making of chemotherapy consent: do we really provide informed consent of chemotherapy for patients?

“…Data from a survey of the status of medical oncology in Korea (SOMOS-K) [18], displayed that the main chemotherapy consent provider to inpatients was medical residents (57.9%) while medical oncologist were in charge of outpatients (50.5%). (The SOMOS-K response rate: 45.8% of medical oncologists who are full members of Korean Association of Clinical Oncology).…”

Practice Patterns Regarding Multidisciplinary Cancer Management and Suggestions for Further Refinement: Results from a National Survey in Korea

“…To complete the survey, we invited approximately 1,000 members of the Korean Association for Clinical Oncology, Korean Society of Surgical Oncology, Korean Society for Radiation Oncology, Korean Society of Pathologists, and Korean Society of Radiology including medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists, as well as trainees, nurses, and clinical research coordinators. The follow-up survey was only sent to representative medical oncologists in each hospital as part of the Survey of Medical Oncology Status in Korea (SOMOS-K) [ 8 ].…”