Abstract
PurposeCancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) can have debilitating effects on cancer survivors’ quality of life. Despite this, patients often report a lack of information provided by health professionals (HPs) to assist with understanding and managing cognitive changes. This study aimed to explore Australian oncology HPs’ understanding of and clinical practice related to CRCI including the use of a Cancer Council Australia CRCI factsheet.MethodsAustralian oncology HPs (medical oncologists, cancer nurses, and clinical psychologists) completed a questionnaire that assessed CRCI knowledge, prior to receiving the factsheet. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore their perceptions of CRCI and the factsheet. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using framework analysis to identify key themes.ResultsQuestionnaires were completed by twenty-nine HPs. Most HPs had moderate to high knowledge of CRCI, yet low knowledge of the relationship between CRCI and cancer. Twenty-six (response rate 90%) HPs; medical oncologists (n = 7), cancer nurses (n = 12), and clinical psychologists (n = 7), consented to be interviewed. Three main themes were identified: (1) Is CRCI impact real or over-rated?; (2) If it is important, they will tell me: identifying and responding to CRCI in clinical practice; and (3) Using a factsheet in clinical practice.ConclusionThis study’s multi-disciplinary exploration of Australian oncology HPs’ perceptions of CRCI highlighted that health professional perceptions drive CRCI discussions with patients. Further education to support clinicians to discuss CRCI is required. Consideration of the barriers and facilitators within healthcare settings is important for successful integration of the factsheet into routine care.
Highlights
Detection of cancer and advancements in treatment have improved survival [1]
Consistent with clinical disciplines recruited, most health professionals (HPs) were female (n = 22); 81% had over six years clinical oncology experience
Of the 29 HPs who completed the online survey, 27 indicated that they perceived that Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) as a real condition
Summary
Detection of cancer and advancements in treatment have improved survival [1]. adverse short and long-term treatment side effects reduce cancer survivors’School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaPsycho‐oncology Co‐operative Research Group (PoCoG), School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCentre for Medical Psychology & Evidence‐based Decision‐making (CeMPED), The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia quality of life [2, 3]. There has been a shift towards the term CRCI, to encompass the multiple causal factors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
