Differences in the Communication of Cancer Diagnoses by Different Health Professionals and the Impact of Oncologist Communication on Patients’ Emotions

Abstract

The field of healthcare is increasingly adopting a humanistic perspective in the physician–patient relationship. One of the more salient aspects being studied is the communication between the two. This study serves a dual purpose. Our initial aim was to study how a cancer diagnosis is disclosed to patients by different physicians (GPs/other specialists/oncologists). Secondly, we set out to study how the way in which oncologists normally communicate with their patients impacts variables such as a patient’s anxiety, depression, coping mechanisms, and perception of both their health and their quality of life. A total of 177 patients answered a battery of questionnaires on sociodemographic and disease data: the SPIKES protocol, the EORTCQLQ-COMU26, and the ADAF screening questionnaire. The analyses recorded medium or high scores for some of the steps in the SPIKES protocol when delivering the diagnosis, and significant differences were observed for some of them among different physicians. The level of a cancer patient’s satisfaction with the communication by oncologists was related to their levels of anxiety, depression, vulnerability, and perception of their health and quality of life. Better communication strategies are called for among all healthcare professionals to facilitate the task of breaking bad news to their patients.

Keywords

• anxiety
• cancer
• coping mechanisms
• depression
• oncology
• physician–patient communications