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

TL;DR

Family physicians in Romania face barriers to personalized cancer prevention and need better training and collaboration tools.

Contribution

Identifies barriers and training needs for personalized cancer prevention in primary care and suggests collaborative solutions.

Findings

Barriers include limited consultation time, diagnostic access, and patient health literacy.

Physicians want training in flexible formats and better collaboration with cancer centers.

Systemic and educational improvements are needed to enhance cancer prevention in primary care.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.

Figures