Lingas Elvina C, Ganipisetti Venu M
Hospital Medicine, Presbyterian Hospital, Albuquerque, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Jul 13;15(7):e41856. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41856. eCollection 2023 Jul.
Radiation oncology (RO) plays a crucial role in cancer care; cancer patients often undergo their initial diagnostic study by general physicians. However, studies have shown that most physicians are uncomfortable referring cancer patients to radiation therapy (RT). To assess the knowledge of RO among non-oncology physicians, we sent invitations to complete an online survey that required the responders to self-rate their understanding of RT and objective assessment. The survey was targeted at hospitalists and primary care physicians. Forty physicians responded to the survey, and 89.7% practiced primarily as hospitalists, with 67% being Internal Medicine graduates. Fifty percent of physicians have referred patients to RO before, although more than 90% have not done additional CME (continuing medical education) in Oncology. More than 50% of recent graduates (one to five years post-residency) self-rated themselves as "not knowledgeable" when it comes referral process to RO as well as general knowledge regarding RT. Factors, such as "type of cancer," "patients' wishes," and "life expectancy," are most cited as factors influencing the decision for a referral.
放射肿瘤学（RO）在癌症治疗中起着至关重要的作用；癌症患者通常由普通内科医生进行初步诊断研究。然而，研究表明，大多数医生在将癌症患者转诊至放射治疗（RT）时会感到不自在。为了评估非肿瘤内科医生对放射肿瘤学的了解程度，我们发送了邀请，让他们完成一项在线调查，要求受访者对自己对放射治疗的理解和客观评估进行自我评分。该调查的对象是住院医生和初级保健医生。40名医生回复了调查，其中89.7%主要从事住院医生工作，67%是内科专业毕业生。50%的医生之前曾将患者转诊至放射肿瘤学领域，尽管超过90%的医生没有接受过肿瘤学方面的继续医学教育（CME）。超过50%的近期毕业生（住院实习结束后1至5年）在涉及转诊至放射肿瘤学的流程以及放射治疗的一般知识方面，自我评定为“知识不足”。诸如“癌症类型”“患者意愿”和“预期寿命”等因素，被最频繁地引述为影响转诊决策的因素
