Background Utilisation of multidisciplinary teams is considered the best
approach to care and treatment for cancer patients. However, the
multidisciplinary approach has mainly focused on inpatient care rather than
routine outpatient care. The situation in private practice care and outpatient
care is gradually changing. We aimed to 1), investigate interdisciplinary
cooperations in the care of tumor patients among urologists and oncologists in
the community setting, 2), establish an estimate of the prevalence of
cooperation among oncologists and organ-specific providers in community
settings in Germany and 3), characterise existing cooperations among
oncologists and urologists. Methods We conducted simultaneously a cross-
sectional survey with private practice urologists (n = 1,925) and a
qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with urologists and
oncologists (n = 42), primarily with private practices, who had indicated
cooperation the care of urological tumor patients. Results Most of the
participants (66%) treated their own tumor patients. When physicians referred
patients, they did so for co- and subsequent treatments (43%). Most
cooperating urologists were satisfied with the partnership and appreciated the
competency of their partners. Qualitative interviews revealed two types of
collaboration in the community setting: formal and informal. Collaborations
were usually ongoing with many physicians and depended equally on both patient
preference and diagnosis. Conclusion Joint patient treatment requires clear
delineation of roles and responsibilities and simple means of communication.
Formal frameworks should allow for incorporation of patients’ critical role in
collaboration decisions in treatment and care
