Patient satisfaction in outpatient cancer care: a prospective survey using The PASQOC® questionnaire

Abstract

The PASQOC questionnaire identified strengths and weaknesses of outpatient care for cancer patients. By providing a comparison with other practices, PASQOC can help staff of individual practices to improve their performance.

Malignant Melanoma S3‐Guideline “Diagnosis, Therapy and Follow‐up of Melanoma”

“…20 % of all out-patients receiving adjuvant and palliative treatment experience pain, 46 % of which feel insufficiently treated and 41 % insufficiently informed about adverse drug reactions (ADR) [677]. In advanced cancer, the incidence increases to 30-40 %, in the terminal phase to more than 70 % [678].…”

Shared Decision Making in Oncology Practice: What Do Oncologists Need to Know?

“…Clinicians can facilitate cancer decision making by implementing the following five SDM steps: (a) determining the situations in which SDM is critical; (b) acknowledging the decision to a patient; (c) describing the available options, including the risks, benefits, and uncertainty associated with options; (d) eliciting patients' preferences; and (e) agreeing on a plan for the next steps in the decision-making process (Table 1). Although many oncologists recognize the importance of patient-centered communication, psychosocial support, and general principles of SDM, unfortunately, many patients still report that they are less involved than they desire to be in cancer decision making [21][22][23]. SDM is a process of engaging in decisions with patients, and although there are specific steps that can be followed, each step individually does not constitute SDM as a whole.…”

Distribution and determinants of patient satisfaction in oncology: A review of the literature

“…Considerable differences in PFs between practices were observed. 1 Another study by Sherlaw-Johnson and colleagues investigated cancer patient satisfaction with care and the extent to which it varies between and within hospitals. Dissatisfaction was greater in younger, female patients.…”

“…11 Another commonly used questionnaire is Patient Satisfaction and Quality in Oncological Care (PASQOC). 1,12 The validated PASQOC ® questionnaire was developed between 1998 and 2002 in cooperation with the German Cancer Society, the KOK (Conference of Nurses in Oncology) and PICKER Institute Germany. PASQOC ® relates to 13 different dimensions of patient satisfaction: (1) physician-patient relationship, (2) communication with physicians, (3) co-management and shared decision making, (4) nursing staff and other practice assistants, (5) pain and pain treatment, (6) handling of side effects, (7) involvement of family members and friends, (8) exchange with other patients, (9) practice organization, (10) additional information, (11) further support in everyday life, (12) practice environment, and (13) side-effects.…”

“…1,2 Consequently measuring patient satisfaction has become an important tool to gain attention and value amongst the health care consumers as well as competitors. It has become increasingly important for health care professionals to systematically measure patients' perceptions of and satisfaction with their care.…”