Quantity and quality of information desired by Portuguese cancer patients

Abstract

Disclosure of the diagnosis of cancer to the patients affected has always been a controversial issue in the doctor-patient relationship. Undoubtedly this is so not only because of differences between countries and cultures, but also because there have been changes of opinion over the years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and quantity of information desired by Portuguese cancer patients, and how and from whom they want to hear this information. Our sample comprised a total of 193 cancer patients, 87 men and 106 women. We found that 68.9% knew what their diagnosis was. In our sample, 74% wanted "as much information as possible, good or bad"; 85% said they wanted to know if their disease was cancer; 95% wanted to know the best or worst likely outcome of their disease; and 96.4% wanted to know the chances of getting cured. Most patients said they would prefer to be informed by physicians (92.7%) and have access to a telephone help-line, books and television. In conclusion, most patients wanted to know as much as possible about their illness and treatment, and the majority preferred to be involved in treatment decisions.

Physician-patient communication among Southern European cancer physicians: The influence of psychosocial orientation and burnout

“…In Southern European countries, the area of physician-patient communication has been examined in terms of physicians' attitudes toward truthtelling with cancer patients (Arraras et al, 1995;Ferraz Gonc¸alves and Castro, 2001;Gil et al, 2000;, patients' awareness of their disease (Morasso et al, 1997;Mystadikou et al, 1996) and patients' desire for information during communication with their doctors (De Lorenzo et al, 2004;Pimentel et al, 1999). In contrast, no study in these countries has assessed the area of cancer physicians' communications skills, physicians' psychosocial orientation and the relationship between these two variables.…”

A revelação do diagnóstico de câncer para profissionais e pacientes

“…Pesquisas indicam que 96% de pacientes ingleses (21) , 90% de americanos (22) e 85% de portugueses (23) gostariam de conhecer a verdade sobre a doença, bem como sobre as chances de cura (24,25) .…”

“…O médico, na grande maioria dos estudos, é o profissional que mais revela o diagnóstico aos pacientes (25,30,31) , pois é dele que os pacientes preferencialmente esperam receber a notícia (23,32) . No entanto, outros profissionais como, por exemplo, os enfermeiros vêm despontando nas preferências dos pacientes (5,21) .…”

Quality of life and understanding of disease status among cancer patients of different ethnic origin

“…In general, North American and Northern European populations expect more complete disclosure of information than Southern European populations (Perez-Stable et al, 1992;Mitchell, 1998;Galanti, 2000), although a survey of Portuguese-speaking cancer patients found that most of them desired full information (Pimentel et al, 1999). A survey comparing perceptions of cancer by people of Southern European origin (Latinos) and English speakers (Anglos) found that Latinos were more likely than Anglos to believe that having cancer is like getting a death sentence, and that they would prefer not to know if they had incurable cancer (Perez-Stable et al, 1992).…”