Background
CIM, cancer, Cancer
ONCOLOGY, CANCER, CANCER
Many oncology physicians are confronted with the topic of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) in their daily work. Many cancer patients already use CIM or ask their oncology physicians about CIM therapies [Generally, communication skills training for health care professionals who work with cancer patients has been widely implemented in recent years. Many of these trainings lead to improved communication skills, and oncology physicians who participate in such trainings are less likely to provide facts alone without individualizing their responses to the patient’s emotions [An interprofessional consensus procedure focusing on competencies that are of specific interest for trainings in integrative oncology found that such consultations are accompanied by unique challenges [In addition to the competencies taught, it is important that the information about CIM that is necessary to inform a patient is tailored to the needs of the physicians and to the consultation situation. Oncology physicians prefer lectures, face-to-face workshops, and flexible online education that is accessible all the time [The KOKON-KTO study was part of the Competence Network Complementary Medicine in Oncology (KOKON), a collaborative research project in Germany that was funded in a second funding period by German Cancer Aid [