Patient-clinician information engagement increases treatment decision satisfaction among cancer patients through feeling of being informed.
OBJECTIVE
Examine how patient-clinician information engagement (PCIE) may operate through feeling informed to influence patients' treatment decision satisfaction (TDS).


METHODS
Randomly drawn sample (N=2013) from Pennsylvania Cancer Registry, comprised of breast, prostate and colon cancer patients completed mail surveys in the Fall of 2006 (response rate=64%) and Fall of 2007. Of 2013 baseline respondents, 85% agreed to participate in follow-up survey (N=1703). Of those who agreed, 76% (N=1293) completed follow-up surveys. The sample was split between males and females. The majority of participants were White, over the age of 50, married, and with a high school degree. Most reported having been diagnosed with in situ and local cancer.


RESULTS
PCIE was related to concurrent TDS (beta=.06) and feeling informed (beta=.15), after confounder adjustments. A mediation analysis was consistent with PCIE affecting TDS through feeling informed. Baseline PCIE predicted feeling informed (beta=.04) measured 1 year later, after adjustments for baseline feeling informed and other confounders. Feeling informed was related to concurrent TDS (beta=.35) after confounder adjustment and follow-up TDS (beta=.13) after baseline TDS and confounder adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest PCIE affects TDS in part through patients' feeling informed.


CONCLUSIONS
PCIE may be important in determining patients' level of feeling informed and TDS.
Martinez
Lourdes S
LS
Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. lmartinez@asc.upenn.edu
Schwartz
J Sanford
JS
Freres
Derek
D
Fraze
Taressa
T
Hornik
Robert C
RC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms; D012042:Registries