Casemanagers Positioned as Key Advance Care Planning Conversationalists in Oncology Care: A Qualitative Interview Study on the Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals and Patients.

INTRODUCTION: The increasing global cancer burden and advances in treatments have extended patients' life expectancy, leading to greater prognostic uncertainty and a higher demand for palliative care. Advance care planning (ACP) is essential in this context, ensuring that patients' future care aligns with their values and preferences. Oncology case managers, being nurses with specialized training, have emerged as key ACP conversationalists. This study explores the perspectives of healthcare professionals and patients on case managers as ACP conversationalists for advanced cancer patients.

METHODS: A qualitative interview study was conducted with 12 patients who recently had an ACP conversation with their case managers and 12 healthcare professionals, including medical oncologists and case managers, at a university medical center in the Netherlands. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Three main themes emerged: (1) Trust as the foundation for effective ACP, where patients valued the casemanagers' familiarity and accessibility; (2) ACP aligns with the competencies and tasks of the casemanager, as their communication skills and disease knowledge were seen as strengths; (3) Challenges related to responsibility around treatment decisions and the reluctance of medical oncologists to relinquish control of the conversation. Both patients and professionals recognized the importance of casemanagers having ACP conversations.

CONCLUSIONS: Casemanagers are well-positioned to lead ACP conversations in oncology care, offering trust, continuity, and expertise. Despite some concerns regarding responsibility and medical decision-making, their role can improve the quality of ACP, supporting more personalized and timely palliative care.