Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Referral practices of oncologists to specialized palliative care.
To describe current referral practices of oncologists to specialized palliative care (SPC) and define demographic characteristics, practice situations, and opinions associated with referral. ⋯ Oncologists referred patients frequently to SPC, but generally late in the disease course for patients with uncontrolled symptoms. Availability of comprehensive SPC, especially for patients receiving chemotherapy, and persisting definitional issues seem to be the main barriers preventing timely referral.