Family Physicians’ Perspectives on Personalized Cancer Prevention: Barriers, Training Needs, Quality Improvements and Opportunities for Collaborative Networks

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Family physicians are key stakeholders in the implementation of cancer prevention strategies, including risk factor assessment, lifestyle counseling, and early detection. Despite this, integration of personalized prevention into routine practice remains limited. This study aimed to explore family physicians' perspectives on barriers, training needs, and collaboration opportunities in cancer prevention. <b>Methods</b>: A mixed-methods study was conducted using an exploratory sequential design. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 12 family physicians from the North-West Region of Romania. Thematic analysis was employed to identify main challenges and opportunities. Findings informed the development of a structured online survey completed by 50 family physicians. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were applied to assess trends and subgroup differences. <b>Results</b>: Interviews and survey data revealed multiple barriers to cancer prevention in primary care: insufficient consultation time, limited access to diagnostic tools, administrative workload, and low patient health literacy. Physicians reported moderate familiarity with personalized prevention but expressed strong interest in further training, particularly through flexible and interactive learning formats. Collaboration with cancer centers was considered suboptimal; participants emphasized the need for streamlined referral pathways and improved communication. <b>Conclusions</b>: The study highlights systemic and educational gaps affecting cancer prevention efforts in family medicine. Tailored training programs, digital integration with cancer centers, and targeted policy adjustments are needed to enhance prevention capacity within primary care.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Published
2025-10-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14197073
Primary Topic
Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Family Physicians’ Perspectives on Personalized Cancer Prevention: Barriers, Training Needs, Quality Improvements and Opportunities for Collaborative Networks

Ioan Constantin Pop, Maximilian Vlad Muntean, Patriciu Achimaș-Cădariu, S. Matei et al.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
article

Family Physicians’ Perspectives on Personalized Cancer Prevention: Barriers, Training Needs, Quality Improvements and Opportunities for Collaborative Networks

Ioan Constantin Pop, Maximilian Vlad Muntean, Patriciu Achimaș-Cădariu, S. Matei, C. Cristescu, Delia Nicoara, Radu Alexandru Ilieș, Niculina Nicoara, Alexander Olivier von Stauffenberg
article en

Abstract

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Family physicians are key stakeholders in the implementation of cancer prevention strategies, including risk factor assessment, lifestyle counseling, and early detection. Despite this, integration of personalized prevention into routine practice remains limited. This study aimed to explore family physicians' perspectives on barriers, training needs, and collaboration opportunities in cancer prevention. <b>Methods</b>: A mixed-methods study was conducted using an exploratory sequential design. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 12 family physicians from the North-West Region of Romania. Thematic analysis was employed to identify main challenges and opportunities. Findings informed the development of a structured online survey completed by 50 family physicians. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were applied to assess trends and subgroup differences. <b>Results</b>: Interviews and survey data revealed multiple barriers to cancer prevention in primary care: insufficient consultation time, limited access to diagnostic tools, administrative workload, and low patient health literacy. Physicians reported moderate familiarity with personalized prevention but expressed strong interest in further training, particularly through flexible and interactive learning formats. Collaboration with cancer centers was considered suboptimal; participants emphasized the need for streamlined referral pathways and improved communication. <b>Conclusions</b>: The study highlights systemic and educational gaps affecting cancer prevention efforts in family medicine. Tailored training programs, digital integration with cancer centers, and targeted policy adjustments are needed to enhance prevention capacity within primary care.

Journal of Clinical MedicineVol. 14(19)
Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy (RO), Institute of Oncology Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta (RO)
Openalex Percentile: Top 62%
Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
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