Physicians' perspectives on medication adherence and health promotion among cancer survivors

Survey responses from primary care physicians ( n= 30), oncologists ( n= 30), and other specialists who treat cancer patients ( n= 31), along with interviews of 12 oncologists, indicate that physicians do not often engage in healthy lifestyle promotion with cancer survivors and fear that providing health promotion advice would distress or overwhelm patients, compromising their medical regimen adherence. Additional health promotion barriers were perceived patient disinterest, cancer as oncologists’ focal concern, time pressure, insufficient behavior change training, and care coordination challenges