title: The physician-patient relationship and quality of life: lessons from chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
abstract: We evaluated patients' satisfaction with the physician caring for them as part of an international web-based survey of quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; n=1482). Over half (55.9%) of patients thought about their diagnosis daily. Although >90% felt their doctor understood how their disease was progressing (i.e., stage, blood counts, nodes), <70% felt their physician understood how CLL affected their QOL (anxiety, worry, fatigue). Reported satisfaction with their physician in a variety of areas strongly related to patients' measured emotional and overall QOL (all p<0.001). Physician use of specific euphemistic phrases to characterize CLL (e.g., "CLL is the 'good' leukemia") was also associated with lower emotional QOL among patients (p<0.001). These effects on QOL remained (p<0.001) after adjustment for age, co-morbid health conditions, fatigue, and treatment status. The effectiveness with which physicians help patients adjust to the physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges of CLL appears to impact patient QOL.
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States. shanafelt.tait@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Tait D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Shanafelt
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Chaya
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Venkat
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Slager
authors.forename: Clive S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Zent
authors.forename: Neil E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Kay
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reinalda
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tun
authors.forename: Jeff A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: Timothy G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Call
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*