Table 3.
The medical oncologist training in palliative medicine (PART B)
| N. respondents | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | Which training in palliative medicine have you received in the last year? | |||
| Master | 22 | 4* | 5^ | |
| Course | 150 | 28 | 33 | |
| Meeting | 245 | 46 | 55 | |
| None | 115 | 22 | 26 | |
| B2 | Do you think that specific competence in palliative medicine should be part of the training of a medical oncologist? | |||
| Totally agree | 351 | 90 | ||
| Partially agree | 40 | 10 | ||
| Disagree | 0 | 0 | ||
| B3 | How much do you think you are able to evaluate and treat tumor-related physical symptoms (i.e. pain, dyspnea etc)? | |||
| A lot | 104 | 29 | ||
| Enough | 265 | 66 | ||
| A little | 21 | 5 | ||
| Not competent | 1 | 0 | ||
| B4 | In your clinical practice do you use tests for patient's quality of life and symptom control? | |||
| Yes, always (specify§) | 73 | 20 | ||
| Yes, only if required for clinical trials | 173 | 45 | ||
| Sometimes | 124 | 30 | ||
| Never | 21 | 5 | ||
| B5 | How competent do you think you are in evaluating and treating psychological distress in cancer patients? | |||
| A lot | 35 | 9 | ||
| Enough | 246 | 63 | ||
| A little | 108 | 28 | ||
| Not competent | 2 | 0 | ||
| B6 | Which definition of “simultaneous care” do you think is more appropriate? | |||
| Continuous care in the passage from oncological treatment to palliative treatment | 29 | 8 | ||
| Integration of expertise in order to grant proper control of symptoms | 75 | 19 | ||
| Early integration between oncological treatment and palliative care (symptom control) | 287 | 73 | ||
| B7 | Do you think simultaneous care should be guaranteed by Medical Oncology Units? | |||
| Completely agree | 270 | 69 | ||
| Partially agree | 95 | 25 | ||
| Disagree | 4 | 1 | ||
| It depends | 22 | 6 | ||
| B8 | Do you think AIOM has been committed to the training of Medical Oncologists in symptoms' control? | |||
| A lot | 41 | 11 | ||
| Enough | 203 | 53 | ||
| A little | 132 | 32 | ||
| I don't know | 15 | 4 | ||
Footnotes: * % on total options; ^ % on single options
§ Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS); Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); Pain NRS; Pain VAS; ECOG Performance Status; EORTC QLQ30, PaP (Palliative Prognostic) score; FACT (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy); ADL (Activities of Daily Living); IADL ( Instrumental Activities of Daily Living); Direct questions without specific tests on Pain, Dyspnea, Nausea/Vomiting; MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination); Only clinical assessment and/or vital signs; WHO scale for chemotherapy toxicity; Rotterdam checklist; Medical Oncology Unit-specific questionnaires; BPI (Brief Pain Inventory); CGA (Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment).