Presentation
PS2 - Capturing Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients' Perceptions of Doctors' Communication Using the Communication Assessment Tool
SessionPoster Session 1
DescriptionIntroduction:
Cancer care poses unique challenges to the communication complexity of medical information and the emotional impact of cancer diagnosis. The overwhelming news of diagnosis leaves the patients in hardship, suffering from major psychological distress. Thus, Supportive communication is essential to assess this population's unmet needs. Effective communication is one of the most important factors when delivering healthcare services. It directly influences patient safety by ensuring clear understanding among doctors and patients. Despite its importance, it is challenging to provide patients with a good quality of communication as the needs differ between patients based on different factors such as their demographics (gender, race, etc.) and the communication strategy adopted by their doctors.
To our knowledge, this is the first study that collects data from newly diagnosed cancer patients using the communication assessment tool to explore their perceptions of patient-centered communication and investigate its impact on their satisfaction with care and trust in doctors. By focusing on these aspects, we aim to identify specific areas for improvement that can lead to more effective communication in oncology settings. Our study contributes to the field of human factors in healthcare by emphasizing the critical role of effective communication in oncology, particularly for newly diagnosed cancer patients.
Methods:
We conducted a quantitative study to explore the perceived quality of communication in the first cancer new patient visits. This study took place in one of the largest cancer centers in the greater New York City area. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey collected within 24 hours of the cancer patients' first visit after a cancer diagnosis. The study obtained ethical approval from both the Stevens Institute of Technology and the Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center IRB offices (IRB ID 00011536).
We used a convenience sampling approach to recruit cancer patients with the new diagnosis. Our research team at the Cancer Center identified eligible upcoming cancer patients and gave a call to them before their initial visit to ask for their participation. The eligibility criteria were being a newly diagnosed cancer patient over 18 years old. The data collection occurred between February 2021 through May 2022. Due to Covid restrictions, all the surveys were done over the phone within 24 hours after their first visit. Each participant received a $30 gift card. Patients are asked to give answers based on their first visit to the doctor. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. We conducted a survey on patient satisfaction, trust, and doctor-patient communication. Patient perception of communication with the physician was measured with the Communication Assessment Tools (CAT). The responses were measured on a 5-point scale. The CAT overall score was calculated as the sum of the item scores divided by the number of items answered. The overall satisfaction with the doctor's communication was assessed using the following question "How satisfied were you with the doctor's communication with you during the visit?". The overall patient trust in the healthcare provider was evaluated by the level of patient agreement on the following statement "All things considered; I completely trust my healthcare provider". First, we performed descriptive analysis statistics for the survey questions. In addition, we conducted a logistic regression analysis adjusted to demographic variables to test the hypothesis and the relationship between communication, trust, and satisfaction. The focus of this study is to explore and examine the following hypotheses among newly diagnosed cancer patients:
Hypothesis 1 (H1): Perceived quality of communication is associated with patient demographic variables.
Hypothesis 2 (H2): Patients' engagement in health decision-making is associated with their demographic variables.
Hypothesis 3 (H3): Patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare providers are associated with patients' demographic variables.
Hypothesis 4 (H4): Perceived quality of communication is associated with patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare providers.
Results:
A total of 135 patients participated in the survey. The majority of the participants were female (57%), white (60%), aged between 50 and 64 years old (65.9%), and possessed a bachelor's degree (32.6%) or high school diploma (32.6%). The p-value < 0.05 was considered significant in our statistical analysis. The statistical analysis results indicate that none of the demographic variables (gender, race, age, and education) have a significant association with communication experiences (overall CAT score). Accordingly, the first hypothesis is rejected (H1). The analysis showed that individuals with high school degrees are less likely to perceive active participation in health decision-making than those with graduate degrees. Accordingly, we accept the second hypothesis (H2).
We investigated the relationship between the overall CAT score and two outcome variables: patient satisfaction and trust, adjusted for demographic variables (gender, race, age, and education). There is a significant association between the CAT score with satisfaction and trust [P-value Satisfaction = 0.03, P-value Trust = 0.01]. The odds ratio of 11.3 for satisfaction and 3.7 for trust indicates higher odds of satisfaction and trust with increasing overall CAT scores. However, we find that patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare providers are not associated with demographic variables. Accordingly, we reject the third hypothesis (H3) and accept the fourth hypothesis (H4).
Conclusion:
New cancer patient visits are critical to establish effective treatment in the following phases. The study shows the required need for communication during the visit to establish trust and satisfaction between cancer patients and cancer providers. Establishing rapport and trust with the new cancer patients is critical since they will rely on their oncology doctors for their next life phase. There should be specific communication training for oncologists and other healthcare professionals in cancer care to better involve diverse patient populations in a more patient-centered communication experience.
Cancer care poses unique challenges to the communication complexity of medical information and the emotional impact of cancer diagnosis. The overwhelming news of diagnosis leaves the patients in hardship, suffering from major psychological distress. Thus, Supportive communication is essential to assess this population's unmet needs. Effective communication is one of the most important factors when delivering healthcare services. It directly influences patient safety by ensuring clear understanding among doctors and patients. Despite its importance, it is challenging to provide patients with a good quality of communication as the needs differ between patients based on different factors such as their demographics (gender, race, etc.) and the communication strategy adopted by their doctors.
To our knowledge, this is the first study that collects data from newly diagnosed cancer patients using the communication assessment tool to explore their perceptions of patient-centered communication and investigate its impact on their satisfaction with care and trust in doctors. By focusing on these aspects, we aim to identify specific areas for improvement that can lead to more effective communication in oncology settings. Our study contributes to the field of human factors in healthcare by emphasizing the critical role of effective communication in oncology, particularly for newly diagnosed cancer patients.
Methods:
We conducted a quantitative study to explore the perceived quality of communication in the first cancer new patient visits. This study took place in one of the largest cancer centers in the greater New York City area. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey collected within 24 hours of the cancer patients' first visit after a cancer diagnosis. The study obtained ethical approval from both the Stevens Institute of Technology and the Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center IRB offices (IRB ID 00011536).
We used a convenience sampling approach to recruit cancer patients with the new diagnosis. Our research team at the Cancer Center identified eligible upcoming cancer patients and gave a call to them before their initial visit to ask for their participation. The eligibility criteria were being a newly diagnosed cancer patient over 18 years old. The data collection occurred between February 2021 through May 2022. Due to Covid restrictions, all the surveys were done over the phone within 24 hours after their first visit. Each participant received a $30 gift card. Patients are asked to give answers based on their first visit to the doctor. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. We conducted a survey on patient satisfaction, trust, and doctor-patient communication. Patient perception of communication with the physician was measured with the Communication Assessment Tools (CAT). The responses were measured on a 5-point scale. The CAT overall score was calculated as the sum of the item scores divided by the number of items answered. The overall satisfaction with the doctor's communication was assessed using the following question "How satisfied were you with the doctor's communication with you during the visit?". The overall patient trust in the healthcare provider was evaluated by the level of patient agreement on the following statement "All things considered; I completely trust my healthcare provider". First, we performed descriptive analysis statistics for the survey questions. In addition, we conducted a logistic regression analysis adjusted to demographic variables to test the hypothesis and the relationship between communication, trust, and satisfaction. The focus of this study is to explore and examine the following hypotheses among newly diagnosed cancer patients:
Hypothesis 1 (H1): Perceived quality of communication is associated with patient demographic variables.
Hypothesis 2 (H2): Patients' engagement in health decision-making is associated with their demographic variables.
Hypothesis 3 (H3): Patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare providers are associated with patients' demographic variables.
Hypothesis 4 (H4): Perceived quality of communication is associated with patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare providers.
Results:
A total of 135 patients participated in the survey. The majority of the participants were female (57%), white (60%), aged between 50 and 64 years old (65.9%), and possessed a bachelor's degree (32.6%) or high school diploma (32.6%). The p-value < 0.05 was considered significant in our statistical analysis. The statistical analysis results indicate that none of the demographic variables (gender, race, age, and education) have a significant association with communication experiences (overall CAT score). Accordingly, the first hypothesis is rejected (H1). The analysis showed that individuals with high school degrees are less likely to perceive active participation in health decision-making than those with graduate degrees. Accordingly, we accept the second hypothesis (H2).
We investigated the relationship between the overall CAT score and two outcome variables: patient satisfaction and trust, adjusted for demographic variables (gender, race, age, and education). There is a significant association between the CAT score with satisfaction and trust [P-value Satisfaction = 0.03, P-value Trust = 0.01]. The odds ratio of 11.3 for satisfaction and 3.7 for trust indicates higher odds of satisfaction and trust with increasing overall CAT scores. However, we find that patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare providers are not associated with demographic variables. Accordingly, we reject the third hypothesis (H3) and accept the fourth hypothesis (H4).
Conclusion:
New cancer patient visits are critical to establish effective treatment in the following phases. The study shows the required need for communication during the visit to establish trust and satisfaction between cancer patients and cancer providers. Establishing rapport and trust with the new cancer patients is critical since they will rely on their oncology doctors for their next life phase. There should be specific communication training for oncologists and other healthcare professionals in cancer care to better involve diverse patient populations in a more patient-centered communication experience.
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeMonday, March 314:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
LocationFrontenac Foyer
Digital Health (DH)
Simulation and Education (SE)
Hospital Environments (HE)
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices (MDD)
Patient Safety and Research Initiatives (PS)