Improving communication with physicians for cancer patients

New research conducted by Monash University and involving the University of Western Australia, the University of Melbourne, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, the University of Flinders and Eastern Health highlighted the best practices in communication between doctors and cancer patients.

The findings could improve the quality of care for cancer patients who need to make complex decisions about treatment and symptom management in difficult circumstances.

Effective and sensitive communication between physicians and people living with cancer is essential to facilitate discussions, facilitate joint decision-making and identify individual needs.

Doctors also benefit from positive communication because communication breakdowns increase stress, decrease job satisfaction and contribute to burnout.

As part of this research project, UBC University Professor of Surgical Oncology, Christobel Saunders, explored the implementation of quality of life questionnaires in routine cancer care.

"The increased use of communication tools offers physicians an opportunity to identify areas of unmet need to develop new care and service pathways to better support patients," said Professor Saunders. .

"We will record clinical and patient-reported results for five cancers – colorectal cancer, bad cancer, lung cancer, prostate and ovarian cancer – in public and private hospitals in Western Australia.

"Early feedback from users, patients, and clinicians on the project showed that using tools to stimulate discussion and capture patient-reported results had helped to highlight patient concerns that were not being addressed. had not been identified or discussed yet, clinicians. "

Researchers Sharon Licqurish, Olivia Cook and Claire Johnson of Monash University, and Professor Claire Johnson reviewed systematic reviews of communication tools in 84 primary studies, including tape-based consultations, lists of questions and outcome measures reported by patients. They found that the lists of answers to questions and the results tools reported by patients were the most effective tools for physicians.

"We have looked at a lot of evidence to identify the best methods that doctors can use to facilitate communication with people with cancer," said Dr. Licqurish.

"We found that patient answer lists and results tools were the most effective ways to promote discussion and help physicians identify individual needs and facilitate decision making and planning. care.

"We would like to see physicians use patient-reported outcome measures and question lists in clinical practice to improve communication and thereby help people with cancer."

Tools to facilitate communication during doctor-patient consultations in cancer treatment: an overview of systematic reviews is published in CA: A cancer journal for clinicians.