title: Factors that influence cancer patients' and relatives' anxiety following a three-person medical consultation: impact of a communication skills training program for physicians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No study has yet assessed the impact of physicians' skills acquisition after a communication skills training program on changes in patients' and relatives' anxiety following a three-person medical consultation. This study aimed at comparing, in a randomized study, the impact, on patients' and relatives' anxiety, of a basic communication skills training program and the same program consolidated by consolidation workshops and at investigating physicians' communication variables associated with patients' and relatives' anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consultations with a cancer patient and a relative were recorded and analyzed by the Cancer Research Campaign Workshop Evaluation Manual. Patients' and relatives' anxiety were assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant change over time and between groups was observed. Mixed-effects modeling of changes in patients' and relatives' anxiety showed that decreases in both patients' and relatives' anxiety were linked with patients' and relatives' self-reported distress (p = 0.031 and 0.005), and that increases in both patients' and relatives' anxiety were linked with physicians' breaking bad news (p = 0.028 and 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No impact of the training program was observed. Results indicate the need to further study communication skills which may help reduce patients' and relatives' anxiety especially when breaking bad news.
authors: Unité de Recherche en Psychosomatique et Psycho-oncologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors: Aurore
authors: A
authors: Lienard
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Merckaert
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Libert
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Delvaux
authors: Serge
authors: S
authors: Marchal
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Boniver
authors: Anne-Marie
authors: AM
authors: Etienne
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Klastersky
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Reynaert
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Scalliet
authors: Jean-Louis
authors: JL
authors: Slachmuylder
authors: Darius
authors: D
authors: Razavi
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004493:Education; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011379:Prognosis; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure