Breast cancer patient perception of the helpfulness of a prompt sheet versus a general information sheet during outpatient consultation: a randomized, controlled trial.
The purpose of this study was to determine the helpfulness of a prompt sheet versus a general information sheet for patient communication with physicians. Sixty women with breast cancer attending their first outpatient consultation with a breast medical oncologist were randomized to receive either a prompt sheet (PS) or a general information (GI) sheet regarding breast cancer. Analysis of the results found that helpfulness of the written material was rated higher in the PS group (8.5 +/- 2) than the GI group (6.2 +/- 3.6), P = 0.005. The mean score of helpfulness in communicating with physicians was 7.9 +/- 2.4 and 5.7 +/- 3.8, respectively, P = 0.01. There were no significant differences between the groups in the average total number of questions asked by the patients or average physician or patient speaking time. We conclude that a disease-specific prompt sheet provided before medical encounters may assist in communication between patients and physicians.
Bruera
Eduardo
E
Departments of Symptom Control and Palliative Care, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Sweeney
Catherine
C
Willey
Jie
J
Palmer
J Lynn
JL
Tolley
Susanne
S
Rosales
Marguerite
M
Ripamonti
Carla
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D003253:Consultants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception