Conclusion
We found that various barriers impede the systematic recording of
patients’ social histories. HPs tend to rely on their own impressions of
patients’ abilities, needs and wishes without necessarily involving the
patients by checking these impressions. In practice, this might lead to
some patients getting less support and detailed information than they
might have wished, and to HPs missing important information about
difficulties patients face – and about their resources – while
undergoing cancer treatment. Future studies might investigate the
effects of systematic recording of social histories on treatment
outcomes.