title: Expectations and Level of Satisfaction of Patients and Their Physicians: Concordance and Discrepancies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Identifying discrepancies between patients׳ expectations for support provided by their physicians, and physicians׳ appraisal of the support they provide to their patients, is a key factor in constructing effective doctor-patient communication.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study proposes and explores a paradigm for assessing possible gaps and overlaps between perceptions of patients with cancer and physicians about the "actual" and the "ideal" (desired) emotional and cognitive support oncologists provide to patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 1027 patients with cancer and 47 senior oncologists. Patients׳ and physicians׳ levels of expectations and satisfaction with the emotional and cognitive support offered by physicians were assessed using a quantitative measure of discrepancy between the actual and the ideal situation. The measure was developed for this study and tested on a random sample of 200 patients and 17 oncologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated consistency between physicians׳ and patients׳ perceptions of the needs and support that the patients received. Nevertheless, oncologists did not feel highly trusted by their patients, oncologists desired less involvement of patients in the treatment plan than the patients expected. Oncologists thought that they actually provided the desired levels of explanation to patients׳ families, whereas patients thought their families got less explanations than expected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Actual and ideal levels of communication should be described from the points of view of both physicians and patients to better understand the complex picture of patient satisfaction. Oncologists should consider patients׳ expectations for support vs their own expectations to effectively address patients׳ needs.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioral Sciences, The Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, Tel-Aviv, Israel (GG). Electronic address: giligold@mta.ac.il.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goldzweig
authors.affiliation: OCD and Related Disorders Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (AA).
authors.forename: Amitai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abramovitch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah-Tikva, Israel (BB, SP).
authors.forename: Baruch
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah-Tikva, Israel (BB, SP).
authors.forename: Shlomit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel (TP).
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peretz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Assuta Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel (LB).
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baider
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*