Health Care Providers’ Perceptions of Unmet Needs Among African American Cancer Caregivers: Qualitative Investigation Among US Medical Professionals

Health care providers readily identify substantial unmet needs among African American cancer caregivers and offer practice-based recommendations that extend beyond individual-level support to emphasize structural and systems transformation. Findings suggest that meaningful improvement requires multilevel intervention. This includes policy changes to formalize and compensate caregiving work, organizational restructuring to integrate caregivers into care teams, provider training in cultural humility and asset-based approaches, and institutional commitment to addressing historical trauma and rebuilding trust with African American communities. This novel provider-focused approach offers actionable pathways for clinical settings to reduce disparities and improve outcomes for African American cancer caregivers and the patients they support.