Care provided by the general practitioner to cancer patients

This article describes the development of a checklist that defines points of attention for the general practitioner in cases of cancer. The points of attention concern the care, in the widest sense of the word, provided to cancer patients. Emphasis is placed upon the care in situations in which the cancer patient is confronted with many problems and uncertainties. The literature was first examined for definitions of ‘elements of adequate care’. These were next submitted for critical assessment and supplementation to a panel of patients, persons in their immediate environment, general practitioners and other care providers. Both the procedure followed (a variant of the Delphi method) and the principal findings are discussed. Some attention will be paid to the question of the validity of the panel results, by indicating how far a random sample of general practitioners did share the views of the panel. In addition, it will briefly be discussed how another random sample of general practitioners actually performs - in their own opinion - with respect to several points of attention.