ArticleBMC palliative care2025
Increasing challenges of general practitioner-oncologist interaction in end-of-life communication: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC palliative care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Key challenges in communication across milestones of cancer care continuum: a systematic review.BMC palliative care · 2026Pooled it
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe timely initiation of end-of-life (EOL) conversations is considerered best practice for patients with advanced cancer and therefore recommended in oncological guidelines. General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the coordination of EOL-care and often claim that they have also the responsibility to initiate the necessary conversations. Nonetheless, the content of these conversations is rarely a subject of communication between GPs and oncology specialists but crucial for timely integration of palliative care. The aim of this study is to explore the GPs' perspectives on initiation and conduction of EOL-conversations in patients with metastatic lung cancer and how they perceive the interaction with the oncologists of a cancer center.
methodsQualitative design with in-depth interviews with GPs that refer patients with metastatic lung cancer to a cancer center; thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke.
resultsWe identified three main themes: timing and conduction of EOL-conversations, factors influencing EOL-conversations, and modes of GP-oncologist interaction. All themes showed important and increasing challenges in regard to communication strategies or procedures within the cancer center and between general practitioners and oncologists. Aside from the elucidated challenges of EOL-communication, new problems arise from the difficulties in keeping pace with advances in oncology and the increasing prognostic uncertainty. Additionally, the lack of standardized communication in EOL-topics between GPs and oncologists is underlined. Options in the mode of interaction include written information in reports or digital platforms and direct phone calls.
conclusionsBecause of the growing complexity in modern oncology, strategies for improvement in GP-oncologist interaction have to consider information about therapeutic advances and prognosis of patients. The increasing prognostic uncertainty hazards the adequate provision and conduction of EOL-conversations and thus, the timely integration of palliative care. As a consequence, a trustful personal interaction that includes direct contact via phone calls between GPs and oncologists should be encouraged.
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