Physician preferences and attitudes regarding different models of cancer survivorship care: a comparison of primary care providers and oncologists

Purpose New strategies for delivering cancer follow-up care are needed. We surveyed primary care providers (PCPs) and oncologists to assess how physician attitudes toward and self-efficacy with cancer follow-up affect preferences for different cancer survivorship models. Methods The survey of physician attitudes regarding the care of cancer survivors was mailed to a randomly selected national sample of PCPs and oncologists to evaluate their perspectives regarding physician roles, knowledge about survivorship care processes, and views on cancer surveillance. Multinomial logistic regression models were constructed to examine how physician attitudes towards, and self-efficacy with, their own skills affected preferences for different cancer survivorship care models. Results Of 3,434 physicians identified, a total of 2,026 participants provided eligible responses: 938 PCPs and 1,088 oncologists. Most PCPs (51 %) supported a PCP/shared care model; whereas, the majority of specialists (59 %) strongly endorsed an oncologist-based model ( p