Healthcare Providers' Attitudes Toward Oncology Patients With Mental Disorders

ONCO-MinD is a multicentre, cross-sectional, non-interventional mixed-method study aimed at investigating healthcare providers' attitudes towards oncology patients with mental disorders in Italian cancer centres. The study will assess levels of mental health-related stigma among healthcare professionals and explore factors associated with these attitudes, including professional background, clinical setting, experience, and previous exposure to mental health conditions. Quantitative survey data collected using the Italian version of the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) will be integrated with qualitative findings from semi-structured interviews to provide a comprehensive understanding of how stigma may influence clinical relationships, decision-making processes, and equity of cancer care.

Sex

All

Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthcare professionals working in participating oncology centres.
* Physicians, nurses, psychologists, radiation therapy technologists, and healthcare assistants.
* Direct involvement in the clinical care of oncology patients.
* Employed at one of the participating study sites at the time of enrolment.
* Able to understand the study information and provide informed consent.
* Willing to participate in the study.

For the qualitative phase, a purposive sample of participants will be selected from survey respondents who agree to be contacted for a semi-structured interview.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Refusal to participate or failure to provide informed consent.
* Students in training.
* Healthcare personnel working in services with very limited patient contact and without direct responsibility for oncology patient care.

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