title: Using personality characteristics to individualize information to cancer patient.
abstract: Disclosure of information to cancer patients is an issue of continuous and great interest. There is a wide-scale debate underway about the questions "do we disclose diagnosis or not", "what should we tell", "how much information should we reveal". Usually, the answers to those questions are general rules of approaching the patient, instructions and general communication skills. What we are missing here is individualization, tailoring information and communication to each patient according to their own personality characteristics. The purpose of this paper was to provide a guide that will make individualization possible, taking into account personality characteristics. We provide a description of the main personality types and of how we can use character traits to inform a patient or otherwise, how do we tailor information to a patient's personality characteristics. Thus, we address the questions of how much do we inform, what words should we use, what do we say, when do we say it and how can information be in line with the therapeutic relationship and patient follow up. On the whole, there is the view that information within the context of doctor-patient communication should be a subject of training. We agree with this view and that is one of the reasons why training workshops are being held at the Metaxa Cancer Hospital.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, School of Health, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. gkallerg@nurs.uoa.gr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kallergis
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010551:Personality; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014342:Truth Disclosure