Face-to-Face Diagnosis Favored by Cancer Patients

Reported satisfaction of medical care for cancer patients improves when a diagnosis is provided in person and in a personal setting, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Institutes for Heath (NIH).

The survey also suggests that patient satisfaction improves when the doctor takes substantial time to discuss the diagnosis, as well as treatment options.

To come to these conclusions, the NIH team surveyed 460 cancer patients who were treated at the NIH treatment facility in Bethesda, MD. Of the 437 patients who responded, 54 percent were informed of their diagnosis in person at the physician’s office. In contrast, 18 percent were informed via telephone and 28 percent received a diagnosis while at a hospital.

Based on these settings, satisfaction scores were significantly higher for patients who were notified in person as opposed to telephone. On a 0-to-100 scale, those informed in person had a mean average satisfaction of 68.2, while telephone patients had a mean average of 47.2. Comparison of a personal doctor’s office setting to an impersonal hospital setting resulted in scores of 68.9 and 55.7, respectively.

Of all patients, 53 percent reported the conversation with the doctor lasted more than 10 minutes. Again, for all patients, 31 percent of participants distinctly remember that treatment options were not discussed.

Mean average satisfaction for those who had discussions of ten minutes or more came in at 73.5. This is compared to 54.1 for those with shorter conversations. When looking at discussion of treatment options, those who received such information returned a satisfaction score of 72.0. Those who did not receive treatment option details posted an average mean score of 50.7.

Resource:

http://oncolink.org/news/index.cfm?ID=1174&sort_year=2010&url.page=1&function=detail