COMMUNICATION OF ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH ONCOLOGISTS: MAIN PROBLEMS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11603/ijmmr.2413-6077.2022.2.13594

Keywords:

communication, quality of life, cancer

Abstract

Background. Physician-patient сommunication is one of the main supportive care provided to oncological patients. It affects treatment outcomes, as well as the interaction of patients within the society, their family and colleagues. Furthermore, COVID-19 and military invasion of Russia into Ukraine makes the issue of improvement of physician-patient communication urgent.

Objective. The aim of the study is to develop recommendations based on the analysis of denfined problems in physician-patient communication in of oncological treatment.

Methods. The sociological research involved 419 patients during their inpatient treatment in the period from November 2021 to February 2022 using the EORTC QLQ-COMU26 questionnaire.

Results. In the pre-war period, in Ukrainian patients with oncological diseases the worst indicators were established for “Active role of a patient” (82.00) and “Correction of misunderstandings by a specialist” (89.19). The best indicators were established for “Skills of the specialist (verbal/non-verbal)” with the score of 93.25 by a 100-point grading scale, as well as “Satisfaction with communication” – 97.04 by a 100-point grading scale.

Conclusions. When developing programs for organization of oncological care, mechanisms for providing psychological care to patients through effective communication between patients and specialists regarding providing medical and psychological care must be taken into account.

Author Biographies

V. О. Zub, SHUPYK NATIONAL HEALTHCARE UNIVERSITY OF UKRAINE, KYIV, UKRAINE

PhD, Doctoral student, Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

A. S. Kotuza, FEOFANIYA CLINICAL HOSPITAL, STATE MANAGEMENT OF AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE, KYIV, UKRAINE

Professor, Feofaniya Clinical Hospital, State Management of Affairs of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

O. K. Tolstanov, SHUPYK NATIONAL HEALTHCARE UNIVERSITY OF UKRAINE, KYIV, UKRAINE

Professor, Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

 

References

Rogge AA, Helmer SM, King R, et al. Effects of training oncology physicians advising patients on complementary and integrative therapies on patient-reported outcomes: A multicenter, cluster-rando­mized trial. Cancer. 2021;127(15):2683-2692.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33562

Levinson W. Patient-centred communication: a sophisticated procedure. BMJ Qual Saf. 2011;20(10): 823-825.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2011-000323

Stiefel F, Kiss A, Salmon P, Peters S, Razavi D, Cervantes A, et al. Training in communication of oncology clinicians: a position paper based on the third consensus meeting among European experts in 2018. Ann Oncol. 2018;29(10):2033-2036.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdy343

Clayton JM, Hancock K, Parker S, Butow PN, Walder S, Carrick S, et al. Sustaining hope when communicating with terminally ill patients and their families: a systematic review. Psychooncology. 2008;17(7):641-659.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.1288

Sichkoriz O, Zimenkovsky A, Gutor T. Analysis of expectations and satisfaction of physicians (pro­visors)-interns in Ukraine at the stage of primary specialization – internship training. Med. perspekt. 2022;27(1):16-23.

https://doi.org/10.26641/2307-0404.2022.1. 254317

Henselmans I, Brugel SD, de Haes HC, Wol­vetang KJ, de Vries LM, Pieterse AH, et al. Promoting shared decision making in advanced cancer: de­velopment and piloting of a patient communication aid. Patient Educ Couns. 2019;102(5):916-923.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2018.12.018

Sodomora, P., Gutor, L., Tryndiuk, V., Lobanova, S. Student Storytelling for Communication Skill Development Online (in the Time of COVID-19 ­Qua­ran­tine). New Educational Review. 2021;63,149-160.

doi: https://doi.org/10.15804/tner.2021.63.1.12

Riccò B, Fiorani C, Ferrara L, Potenza L, Savio­la A, Malavasi N, et al. Survey on the effectiveness of telephone-based communication with relatives of hospitalized cancer patients in COVID-19 era in Italy. Support Care Cancer. 2022;30(7):6007–6012.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07042-1

Gray NA, Back AL. COVID-19 communication aids. BMJ. 2020;369:m2255.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2255

Negro A, Mucci M, Beccaria P, Borghi G, Capocasa T, Cardinali M, et al. Introducing the video call to facilitate the communication between health care providers and families of patients in the inten­sive care unit during COVID-19 pandemia. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2020;60:102893.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2020.102893

Selim S, Kunkel E, Wegier P, Tanuseputro P, Downar J, Isenberg SR, et al. A systematic review of interventions aiming to improve communication of prognosis to adult patients. Patient Educ Couns 2020;103(8):1467-1497.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.02.029

Vasista A, Stockler MR, Martin A, Lawrence NJ, Kiely BE. Communicating prognostic information: what do oncologists think patients with incurable cancer should be told? Intern Med J. 2020;50(12):1492-1499.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.14739

Elkin EB, Kim SH, Casper ES, Kissane DW, Schrag D. Desire for information and involvement in treatment decisions: elderly cancer patients' prefe­rences and their physicians' perceptions. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25(33):5275-5280.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2007.11.1922

Jenkins V, Solis-Trapala I, Langridge C, Catt S, Talbot DC, Fallowfield LJ. What oncologists believe they said and what patients believe they heard: an analysis of phase I trial discussions. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(1):61-68.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2010.30.0814

Weeks JC, Catalano PJ, Cronin A, Finkelman MD, Mack JW, Keating NL, et al. Patients’ expectations about effects of chemotherapy for advanced cancer. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(17):1616-1625.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1204410

Arraras JI, Wintner LM, Sztankay M, To­maszewski KA, Hofmeister D, Costantini A, et al. Conducted on behalf of the EORTC Quality of Life Group. EORTC QLQ-COMU26: a questionnaire for the assessment of communication between patients and professionals. Phase III of the module development in ten countries. Support Care Cancer. 2017;25(5): 1485-1494.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3536-0

Communication. EORTC Quality of life. Available from: https://qol.eortc.org/questionnaire/qlq-comu26/

Baile WF, Buckman R, Lenzi R, Glober G, Beale EA, Kudelka AP. SPIKES – a six-step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer. The Oncologist. 2000;5(4):302–311.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1634/theon­colo­gist.5-4-302

Back AL, Arnold RM, Baile WF, Tulsky JA, Fryer-Edwards K. Approaching difficult communication tasks in oncology. CA Cancer J Clin. 2005;55(3):164–177.

doi: https://doi.org/10.3322/canjclin.55.3.164

Helmer SM, Rogge AA, Fischer F, Pach D, Horneber M, Roll S, et al. Evaluation of a blended-learning training concept to train oncology physicians to advise their patients about complementary and integrative medicine (KOKON-KTO): study protocol for a prospective, multi-center, cluster-randomized trial. Trials. 2019;20(1):90.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3193-y

Johnson M, Tod AM, Brummell S, Collins K. Prognostic communication in cancer: a critical in­terpretive synthesis of the literature. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2015;19(5):554-567.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2015.03.001

Clayton JM, Natalia C, Butow PN, Simpson JM, O’Brien AM, Devine R, et al. Physician endorsement alone may not enhance question-asking by advanced cancer patients during consultations about palliative care. Support Care Cancer 2012;20(7):1457-1464.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1229-2

Beach WA, Dozier DM. Fears, uncertainties, and hopes: patient-initiated actions and doctors’ responses during oncology interviews. J Health Com­­mun 2015;20(11):1243-1254.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2015.1018644

Niranjan SJ, Turkman Y, Williams BR, Williams CP, Halilova KI, Smith T, et al. “I’d want to know, because a year’s not a long time to prepare for a death”: role of prognostic information in shared decision making among women with metastatic breast cancer. J Palliative Med. 2020;23(7):937-943.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2019.0457

Leonhardt M, Aschenbrenner K, Kreis ME, Lauscher JC. Does migrant background predict to what extent colorectal cancer patients want to be informed about their life expectancy? - a cross-sectional analysis. Int J Equity Health. 2019;18(1):192.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-019-1105-0

Douglas SL, Daly BJ, Meropol NJ, Lipson AR. Patient-physician discordance in goals of care for patients with advanced cancer. Curr Oncol. 2019; 26(6):370-379.

doi: https://doi.org/10.3747/co.26.5431

El-Jawahri A, Forst D, Fenech A, Brenner KO, Jankowski AL, Waldman L, et al. Relationship between perceptions of treatment goals and psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2020;18(7):849-855.

doi: https://doi.org/10.6004/jnccn.2019.7525

Borghi L. Clinician-patient-family member interactions in COVID-19 serious conditions: a glimpse from the other side of the limbo. Patient Educ Couns. 2021;104(8):1887-1888.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.02.003

Kross EK, Engelberg RA, Gries CJ, Nielsen EL, Zatzick D, Curtis JR. ICU care associated with symp­toms of depression and posttraumatic stress dis­order among family members of patients who die in the ICU. Chest .2011;139(4):795–801.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.10-0652

Seo YJ, Park H. Factors influencing caregiver burden in families of hospitalised patients with lung cancer. J Clin Nurs. 2019;28(9-10):1979–1989.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14812

Downloads

Published

2023-04-26

How to Cite

Zub V. О., Kotuza, A. S., & Tolstanov, O. K. (2023). COMMUNICATION OF ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH ONCOLOGISTS: MAIN PROBLEMS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES. International Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 8(2), 74–82. https://doi.org/10.11603/ijmmr.2413-6077.2022.2.13594