ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2023
Physicians' perspectives on family caregivers' roles in elderly cancer patients' therapies: a qualitative, interview-based study.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Decision-Making for Older Patients with Cancer Receiving Systemic Therapy: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2026Pooled it
- Communication-related aspects drive senior patients' satisfaction with the process of decision-making in cancer therapy.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Treatment decision-making for patients with cancer aged 75 and older: perspectives from focus group interviews with patients, family caregivers, and healthcare providers.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- The caregiver's journey: A qualitative study on the integration of family caregivers of advanced cancer patients in outpatient settings in Germany.Palliative & supportive care · 2025Article
- Contributing and limiting factors to guideline-adherent therapy in senior and elderly breast cancer patients: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study using clinical and cancer registry data in Germany.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeClinical communication and facilitating informed and sound medical decisions become challenging as patients age and suffer from age-associated impairments. Family caregivers are perceived as essential actors in addressing these challenges. Here, we explore physicians' perspectives on family caregivers' roles and their involvement in consultations and therapy decision-making situations of elderly cancer patients.
methodsWe examined 38 semi-structured interviews with physicians from different specialities (oncologists, non-oncology specialists, and general practitioners) in Germany who treated elderly cancer patients. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
resultsWe identified five general and distinct perspectives on the involvement of family caregivers in the therapy process. Family caregivers are seen as (1) translators of medical information; (2) providers of support for the patient; (3) providers of information about the patient; (4) stakeholders with relevant points of view regarding the treatment decision; or (5) individuals who have a disruptive influence on the consultation. The interviewed physicians rarely involved family caregivers closely in consultations.
conclusionsAlthough physicians frequently attribute supportive roles to family caregivers, they rarely include them in consultations. Previous studies have found that a triadic setting is often better suited to agreeing upon a patient-centered and needs-based treatment decision for older cancer patients. We infer that physicians too rarely recognize the potential importance of family caregivers. Educators should further integrate family caregiver involvement and its implications in general medical education and professional training.
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Registered trials
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