Breast Cancer Patient Perception of the Helpfulness of a Prompt Sheet Versus a General Information Sheet During Outpatient Consultation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the helpfulness of a prompt sheet versus a general information sheet for patient communication with physicians. Sixty women with breast cancer attending their first outpatient consultation with a breast medical oncologist were randomized to receive either a prompt sheet (PS) or a general information (GI) sheet regarding breast cancer. Analysis of the results found that helpfulness of the written material was rated higher in the PS group (8.5 +/- 2) than the GI group (6.2 +/- 3.6), P = 0.005. The mean score of helpfulness in communicating with physicians was 7.9 +/- 2.4 and 5.7 +/- 3.8, respectively, P = 0.01. There were no significant differences between the groups in the average total number of questions asked by the patients or average physician or patient speaking time. We conclude that a disease-specific prompt sheet provided before medical encounters may assist in communication between patients and physicians.

The Patients Concerns Inventory in head and neck cancer: Comparison between self-completed paper and touch screen versions in the clinic setting

“…This was particularly telling with the item 'Fear of Recurrence'. Intervention with communication strategies and adjuncts e.g., writing down questions, use of computer-assisted education package and prompt sheets (Brown et al, 2001;Bruera et al, 2005;Davison and Degner, 2002), can activate cancer patients into being better communicators (e.g., express concerns, ask questions, being assertive, etc.) but the effectiveness of such interventions depends, in part, on physician/ clinician endorsement (Parker et al, 2005;Street et al, 1995).…”

A question prompt list for patients with advanced cancer in the final year of life: Development and cross-cultural evaluation

“…[13] QPLs have been developed for patients seeing medical oncologists, radiation oncologists or surgeons for the first time, [14,15] and patients and carers newly referred to palliative care. [16] No QPL has been developed for patients with advanced cancer outside the palliative care setting.…”

Patient-centered care and breast cancer survivors’ satisfaction with information

“…Models of physician-patient communication have suggested that in order for physicians to adequately assess and respond to patients' differing needs, physicians must involve patients in the medical consultation. On the most simplistic level, patients who take an active role in the medical consultation have an opportunity to ask questions and can elicit the information that is most important to them [10,11]. Frequently, however, patients may be unable to conceptualize or articulate their questions, requiring physicians not only to allow their patients to participate in the consultation, but also to actively elicit and explore patients' thoughts, feelings, ideas, and concerns, in order to gain insight into the patient's perspective.…”