Cancer patients face unnecessary referrals during follow-up care

Patients undergoing follow-up after cancer treatment still face unnecessary visits to doctors to obtain referrals, LSM reported. The follow-up period is intended to detect a possible recurrence or complications early and to provide psychological support and rehabilitation.

During this period, known as dynamic surveillance, the examinations and medical supervision provided depend on the type and stage of cancer.

Ilga, a cancer patient, said she had to visit several doctors to obtain the referrals she needed. Her oncologist referred her for examinations, but she then had to return to her family doctor to obtain another referral for a follow-up consultation with the oncologist.

“It means I walk back and forth. For the sake of paperwork, for the sake of paperwork,” Ilga said.

She said the process was not particularly difficult for her because she only had to call her family doctor once a year. However, she noted that family doctors had to handle the paperwork for many patients in addition to their other duties.

Ieva Šmite, a representative of the National Health Service’s medical services department, said that oncologists are directly accessible specialists during dynamic surveillance. This means patients do not need a doctor’s referral to consult an oncologist about planning examinations and assessing treatment.