Communication Complications Prevalent in Cancer Care

As many as 1 in 5 cancer patients may experience obstacles in their care, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These obstacles include communication issues between patients and their healthcare providers, along with traditional medical errors.

In the study, communication problems outnumbered problems with medical care. According to patient interviews, problematic events led to various consequences, including additional medical care, delayed recovery, emotional distress, and persistent damage to the relationship between patients and their doctors.

Kathleen Mazor, EdD, Assistant Director of the Meyers Primary Care Institute, Worcester, MA, led the study, which also included researchers from the University of Washington, Group Health, and Kaiser Permanente. “For me, the take-home message is it’s critical for us to listen to patients as we try to improve care,” Mazor said.

Telephone interviews were used rather than medical chart documentation in order to understand how patients viewed their care experiences. The research team discovered that only 13% of patients formally reported their care problems. The problems prompted almost all patients to take positive steps in their healthcare behaviors, such as asking more questions or researching symptoms and treatments. Unfortunately, 10% of patients reported increased hesitation in seeking care as a result of their care experiences.

“It’s vital that we hear directly from the patients,” noted study co-author Sarah M. Greene, MPH, a research associate at Group Health Research Institute in Seattle. “The communication problems probably wouldn’t have appeared in their medical record. But to the patient, they are as significant as a clinical adverse event, like a wrong dose of chemotherapy.”

Study authors believe both patients and clinicians need novel ways to provide negative and positive feedback about cancer care. The researchers also noted that patients’ perceptions of problems and clinicians’ perspectives might differ, so educating clinicians is equally critical.

Source: Group Health Research Institute.