Health-related quality of life in hemato-oncology patients: role of informativeness and doctor-patient communication

Abstract

# Background The patient's information about the disease and doctor-patient communication are both constructs whose importance is emphasized in the theory, but much less frequently researched and used in the practice. # Objective This study aimed to determine whether certain facets of health-related quality of life of hemato-oncology patients in Croatia could be predicted based on patients' sociodemographic data, the disease's determinants, the patients' information about their disease and the quality of doctor-patient communication. # Methods 60 women and 54 men with diagnoses of both leukemia and lymphoma have participated in filling out questionnaires. The survey consisted of a sociodemographic questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-C30~(version 3)~, EORTC QLQ-INFO25 and the Doctor-Patient Communication Questionnaire. # Results Patients' sociodemographic data, the disease's determinants, the patients' information about their disease and the quality of doctor-patient communication predicted 26.8 % variance of global health status (*F* = 2.756, *p* \< .01), 35.7% variance of physical functioning (*F* = 4.196, *p* \< .01), 23.3% variance of role functioning (*F* = 2.291, *p* \< .05), 29.9% variance of emotional functioning (*F* = 3.215, *p* \< .01) and 27.9% of social functioning (*F* = 2.881, *p* \< .01). Predictors that significantly contributed to the change in variance of health-related quality of life were age, duration of diagnosis, the existence of comorbidity, frequency of hospitalization, talking with the psychologist after getting the diagnosis and information. # Conclusion The study offers valuable insights into an under-researched patient population and a better understanding of their health-related quality of life. The results indicate the importance of information that can be implemented in everyday clinical practice, and pave the way for further research on doctor-patient communication.