Communication between cancer specialists and patients has room for improvement in explaining treatment options and particularly the potential costs, an Australian study has found.
University of WA researchers interviewed 40 patients with breast, lung, prostate or colorectal cancer and found their perception of the communication with their cancer specialists was “variable and in many cases sub-optimal.”
Most patients said they were satisfied with the level of information provided by the specialist, though many were initially overwhelmed by its amount and complexity, and needed to ‘Google’ to understand the scary and unfamiliar terminology.
Some patients said they were less than satisfied because their specialist failed to explain the aim and rationale of the treatment and possible different options available to them.
The strongest feedback about specialist communication related to unexpected costs of treatment, with many patients lamenting the lack of discussion about financial aspects of their treatment options.
“I did not think it was going to be cheap, I knew there was going to be some form of gap,” commented one study participant. “[But] I did not realise until after the operation, I found out then that it was going to cost $10,000”.
This showed a clear need for transparency regarding the costs of health and/or support services, said the researchers, led by Dr Neli Slavova-Azmanova and including breast cancer surgeon Professor Christobel Saunders among the co-authors of the article in Supportive Care in Cancer.