The take-home message: patients prefer consultation audiotapes to summary letters.
J Clin Oncol
; 12(6): 1305-11, 1994 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-8201393
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Despite reports of poor patient understanding and recall after cancer consultations, few doctors provide communication aids. We conducted a randomized trial comparing an audiotape of the consultation versus individualized summary letters to patients after their first consultation with a medical oncologist.METHODS:
One hundred eighty-two cancer patients were randomized to receive either (1) the audiotape followed 7 to 10 days later by the letter or (2) the letter followed by the audiotape. Outcome measures included patient recall, anxiety and depression, satisfaction with and use of the communication aids, and patient preferences for six communication options. Demographic and disease variables and information and involvement preferences were documented.RESULTS:
Eighty percent of patients wanted all information and 72% wanted to participate in treatment decisions. Patients listened to the tape on average 2.3 times and read the letter 2.8 times over 4 weeks, and 90% showed the tape or letter to a friend, relative, or doctor. Satisfaction with the tape and letter were uniformly high and they did not differentially affect recall, anxiety, or depression. When asked to rank six communication options, 46% of patients gave the highest rank to the tape and 21% to the letter.CONCLUSION:
Patients use audiotapes of their cancer consultation and individualized letters to review the information given and communicate information to relatives and friends. They prefer audiotapes to letters. Clinicians should consider installing audiotape-recording facilities that could be used to tape new-patient consultations.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Gravação em Fita
/
Correspondência como Assunto
/
Educação de Pacientes como Assunto
/
Neoplasias
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Etiology_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Clin Oncol
Ano de publicação:
1994
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Austrália