Oncologists’ happiness at work and integrative oncology.

Abstract

e23127 Background: Oncology care teams often face long hours and high patient volumes in a profession that is emotionally and mentally demanding. Whole person cancer care, guided by a wider lens of what matters most to patients, and the integration of complementary services is linked to happiness at work, specifically for oncologists. Methods: A national survey was used to assess oncologists’ awareness, perceptions, and uptake of integrative and whole person supportive oncology services. Respondents were sampled from a panel of community and academic practices across the US, with the requirement that they spend at least 30% of their time in direct care of cancer patients and are familiar with the complementary offerings of their institution or system (response of 4–7 on a 7-point scale). The survey was repeated annually from 2022 to 2024. Survey invitations were sent to 5,200–5,500 oncologists per year. Results: More than 150 oncologists completed the survey annually, with a 40% overlap each year. In 2024, 95% of institutions or systems surveyed offered at least one of 12 complementary therapies, a statistically significant increase from 86% in 2022. In the 2024 data, oncologists were split into two cohorts using a 7-point scale based on agreement with the statement “I am very happy at my place of work.” The two cohorts were “Very Happy at Work” (6–7) or “Neutral/Unhappy at Work” (1–5). Oncologists who were Very Happy were more often employed at locations where at least one complementary therapy was offered (table row 1, p = 0.16). In addition, Very Happy oncologists worked with staff financial counselors and physical therapists more than Neutral/Unhappy oncologists (rows 2–3). Finally, Very Happy oncologists noted that not having time to fit in complementary therapy discussions with patients was significantly less of a barrier (row 4) and considered the patient’s caregiver as influential to decision-making significantly more compared to the Neutral/Unhappy oncologists (row 5). Conclusions: Prioritizing whole person care by integrating complementary therapies and supportive services, employing team-based strategic hiring practices, and encouraging shared decision-making with patients and caregivers provides a path to greater joy in work for oncologists. 2024 Survey Question Response Label Very Happy ( n = 76) Neutral/Unhappy ( n = 75) P- Value( t test, 95% confidence) 1 Institution or system offers at least one complementary therapy % Yes 98%; CI 95–100% 92%; CI 83–100% 0.16 2 Financial counselor on staff full-time % Yes 92%; CI 83–100%( n = 21) 66%; CI 41–91%( n = 21) <0.01 3 Physical therapist on staff full-time % Yes 87%; CI 74–100%( n = 29) 63%; CI 35–91%( n = 31) 0.12 4 Do not have time to fit complementary therapy discussion into patient conversations % Yes 9%; CI 1–17% 31%; CI 17–44% <0.01 5 Patient’s caregiver is influential in my decisions about patient management % 6 or 7, 7-point scale Agree 42%; CI 26–57%Mean: 5.2 22%; CI 11–33%Mean: 4.5 <0.01