title: [Information disclosure and decision making preferences of patients with advanced cancer in a Pain and Palliative Care Unit in Chile].
abstract: Information disclosure and decision making process are important steps in advanced cancer patients management; however, there is no research done in this area in Chile.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To know the preferences of patients with advanced cancer related to information disclosure and style of decision making process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational study with patients in the Palliative Care Unit of Sótero del Río Hospital, in Santiago, Chile. The preferences were evaluated with a Disclosure Information and a Decision Making Preferences Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  100 patients were recruited, 52% males, average age 63 years; 90% wanted to receive complete information about diagnosis and 89% complete information about prognosis. The preferences related to decision making process style were: 60% shared, 27% passive and 13% active. The expressed satisfaction with the information received was 89% and 87% with the way decisions were actually made.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A majority of patients preferred to receive complete information about diagnosis and prognosis and to make shared decisions. The satisfaction with information disclosure and decision making process was very high. The data of this study supports the need of an adequate information disclosure and of exploring the individual preferences of our patients, with the goal of promoting an informed decision making process that respects the preferences of our patients.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cartes
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Villarroel
authors.forename: Henrique Afonseca
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Sriram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yennurajalingam
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bruera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002677:Chile; D003657:Decision Making; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult