Survey of oncology providers on psychosocial distress

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Overview and Background: This R03 application proposes to survey oncology providers about their practices of screening for psychosocial distress. Although the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines have been published for almost five years, there is no data on the extent of their use. If efforts at improving the psychosocial care of cancer patients within existing oncology treatment systems are to be successful, data on current routine practices are critically important. Building on research that demonstrates that distress recognition by oncology providers is poor, this survey focuses on screening for distress, the entry point of the NCCN guidelines. By examining this crucial juncture, further efforts at improving the psychosocial care can be tailored to the reported practices of oncologists. Primary Aim: The goal of this study to administer a nation-wide survey of oncologists on the use of the NCCN guidelines for screening for distress in cancer patients. This application is being submitted by two junior investigators, Drs. Pirl and Muriel, who will receive the mentorship of Dr. Kornblith for the study. Methods: During a brief start-up phase, we will gather acceptability data on the survey questionnaire by obtaining systematic feedback on the instrument from ten oncologists in Massachusetts. As needed, we will revise the questionnaire. In year 1, we will distribute the survey by email to over 400 oncologists in Massachusetts who are members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In year 2, we will extend the survey to 1,000 randomly selected oncologists from the national membership directory of ASCO. Data will be analyzed using frequency distributions on each item of the survey. Mechanism of award: This project uses the R-03, small grant mechanism, following the program announcement for "Small grants for behavioral research in cancer control." This mechanism targets junior investigators and research that will "facilitate the growth of a nationwide cohort of scientists with a high level of research expertise in behavioral cancer control research." The data from this survey will allow the investigators to continue their program of research on models of cancer care that integrate screening for distress in cancer and developing and testing evidence-based interventions that emphasize. It will also, with a low cost, allow for the evaluation of the use and utility of the NCCN guidelines for distress screening, providing data, if necessary, to justify further efforts to extend distress screening into regular cancer care.