Patients Often Favor Receiving Information About Cancer Therapy From the Oncologist

According to findings from a patient-completed questionnaire published in the Journal of Cancer Education, among oncology patients, many favored receiving pertinent information directly from the oncologist regarding various facets of chemotherapy, including treatment goals and expectations, potential adverse effects, and costs (J Canc Educ. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-022-02251-y).

To better understand which healthcare provider offered the most beneficial patient education and clinical information regarding the many facets of chemotherapy to patients, Shanzay Suhail, MD the University of Wisconsin, and colleagues developed an 11-item questionnaire that included a total of 31 questions. This questionnaire gathered pertinent demographic data such as age range, gender, education level, number of chemotherapy regimens, and primary tumor site. Participants were questioned on four areas of chemotherapy, including the objectives of care, potential adverse effects, costs associated with care, and the management and delivery of care.

A total of 50 patients who had completed one cycle of chemotherapy were asked to complete the questionnaire. Those patients were asked when they received information about their chemotherapy treatment and which healthcare provider did they prefer to deliver that information to them. The patients were evenly dispersed in various age ranges, including the age group of 45 to 64 years, the age group of 65 to 74 years, and the age group of patients 75 years or older.

Women represented 60% of the study population,  33 participants (66%) had high school degrees, and those patients receiving their first chemotherapy regimen represented 46% of the study population.

Concerning the questions about information sources, the possible choices included: oncologist, oncology nurse, chemotherapy group class, pharmacist, pamphlets, or other documents provided, cancer guide, and websites or other resources.

Results revealed that 60% of patients best-understood goals of care when presented by the oncologists, 70% of participants preferred that the oncologists provided the treatment goals, and 61% best understood and wanted to understand the management and administration of chemotherapy from oncologists. Moreover, when nursing staff explained the adverse effects of chemotherapy, an estimated 66% of patients understood them, and 56% of participants favored patient education about adverse effects from the oncology nurse.

The authors wrote, “With our questionnaire, we learned that patients wanted to receive information regarding various aspects of chemotherapy from the oncologist, although patients also wanted other members of the care team to help them best understand certain aspects of chemotherapy,” adding, “Patients wanted to discuss care goals with the oncologist, the adverse effects with the oncologist and nurses, the financial costs with multiple care team members, and the logistics with the oncologist.”

The authors also provided recommendations for patient education methods when expanding the oncologist’s role is not feasible.

Limitations noted by the authors included the relatively modest sample size and a primary focus on comprehending patients’ opinions without accounting for the specific modifications that patients would welcome from the care team.

“As care teams become more common in medical practice, it is crucial that we know how to meet patients where they are and to assign tasks to the appropriate care team member to best serve the patient,” concluded the authors.