Physicians' awareness of the breast cancer survivors' unmet needs in Korea

Purpose: Physicians' awareness of their cancer patients' unmet needs is an essential element for providing effective treatment. This study investigated the accuracy of physicians' awareness of breast cancer survivors' unmet needs in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional interview survey was performed among 106 physicians and 320 Korean breast cancer survivors. The Comprehensive Needs Assessment Tool was administered to physicians and cancer survivors after obtaining their written informed consent to participate. Data were analyzed using t-test, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The level of unmet needs was highest in the hospital service domain (mean ± standard deviation: 2.19 ± 0.82), and the top-ranked unmet need item was “wished my doctor to be easy, specific, and honest in his/her explanation” (2.44 ± 0.93). Higher unmet needs were correlated with the presence of a genetic counseling clinic. They were not associated with age, sex, marital status, religion, department, working period, type of institution, number of staff, and number of operations. In multiple regression analysis, the presence of a genetic counseling clinic was associated with a higher level of recognition for psychological problems, social support, hospital service, and information and education needs. Physicians overestimated breast cancer survivors' unmet needs in all domains, compared to their self-reported unmet needs. The discordance in the perceived unmet needs was highest in the ‘family/personal relationship problems’ domain. Conclusions: Physicians who treat Korean breast cancer survivors rated the level of unmet needs of breast cancer survivors as highest in the hospital service domain. The presence of a genetic counseling clinic in physicians' institutions was associated with a higher perception of survivors' unmet needs. Physicians overestimated the level of unmet needs in Korean breast cancer survivors. Efforts to reduce these discordances are needed to implement optimal survivorship care.