TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrative Oncology in Supportive Cancer Care in Israel
AU - Shalom-Sharabi, Ilanit
AU - Frenkel, Moshe
AU - Caspi, Opher
AU - Bar-Sela, Gil
AU - Toledano, Martine
AU - Samuels, Noah
AU - Schiff, Elad
AU - Ben-Arye, Eran
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2018/9/1
Y1 - 2018/9/1
N2 - Purpose: Integrative oncology (IO) services provide complementary/integrative medicine (CIM) therapies to patients as part of their supportive cancer care. In this study, we examine and compare the structural, operational, financial and academic/research-related aspects of IO services in Israeli oncology centers. Methods: The medical directors of seven Israeli IO programs completed questionnaires which explored the objectives and organizational features of their service within the context of supportive cancer care. Results: All participating IO services addressed patient-reported concerns related to quality of life and function, within the context of conventional supportive cancer care. The centers shared similar characteristics regarding the procedure of referral to their service and emphasized research and teaching initiatives within an academic framework, as part of their clinical practice. A number of obstacles to integration were identified, primarily those related to financial considerations, such as the need for patients to carry the cost of the CIM treatments. Conclusions: IO services situated within conventional oncology departments in Israel share a number of characteristics, as well as obstacles to their incorporation into standard care. All participating centers described both clinical and academic activities, including research initiatives and the promotion of CIM in an academic setting. Further research is needed in order to better understand the place of CIM in the oncology setting and prioritize the allocation of resources in order to advance the inclusion of CIM in standard supportive cancer care.
AB - Purpose: Integrative oncology (IO) services provide complementary/integrative medicine (CIM) therapies to patients as part of their supportive cancer care. In this study, we examine and compare the structural, operational, financial and academic/research-related aspects of IO services in Israeli oncology centers. Methods: The medical directors of seven Israeli IO programs completed questionnaires which explored the objectives and organizational features of their service within the context of supportive cancer care. Results: All participating IO services addressed patient-reported concerns related to quality of life and function, within the context of conventional supportive cancer care. The centers shared similar characteristics regarding the procedure of referral to their service and emphasized research and teaching initiatives within an academic framework, as part of their clinical practice. A number of obstacles to integration were identified, primarily those related to financial considerations, such as the need for patients to carry the cost of the CIM treatments. Conclusions: IO services situated within conventional oncology departments in Israel share a number of characteristics, as well as obstacles to their incorporation into standard care. All participating centers described both clinical and academic activities, including research initiatives and the promotion of CIM in an academic setting. Further research is needed in order to better understand the place of CIM in the oncology setting and prioritize the allocation of resources in order to advance the inclusion of CIM in standard supportive cancer care.
KW - Israel
KW - cancer care
KW - complementary medicine
KW - integrative oncology
KW - supportive care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85051734695&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1534735418764839
DO - 10.1177/1534735418764839
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C2 - 29607685
AN - SCOPUS:85051734695
SN - 1534-7354
VL - 17
SP - 697
EP - 706
JO - Integrative Cancer Therapies
JF - Integrative Cancer Therapies
IS - 3
ER -
