The level of satisfaction in cancer patients with completed treatments: a 7-year screening.
OBJECTIVE
Cancer patients encounter many problems in the post-diagnosis period and they want to establish a good contact with the treatment team in order to get better information about their condition. This study attempted to investigate in patients with completed treatment the level of satisfaction they derived from the treatment and the treatment team.


METHODS
The archive of medical records of the Medical Oncology Department comprising 4622 patients was randomly screened between the years 2000 and 2006. Charts of 528 patients were reached via phone and analysed for clinical data.


RESULTS
Approximately 78.8% of the patients had been informed about their malignant diseases. The rates of satisfaction from the treatment team, the treatment itself, and communication with the physician was higher among informed patients compared to uninformed ones (p<0.05). Of all the evaluated patients, 38.5% had been recommended to practise general exercises.


CONCLUSIONS
The great majority of our patients were informed about their diseases and treatments, although without being given adequate importance, and the satisfaction rates were higher among informed patients. We believe that our study will provide new approaches in relation to the importance and methods of communicating with and informing patients.
Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Department, Tulay Aktas Oncology Hospital, Supportive Care Unit, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey. eyigor@hotmail.com
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Eyigor
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Karapolat
O K
OK
Korkmaz
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R
Uslu
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires