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.