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. 2022 Mar 22;11(2):2831.
doi: 10.4081/jphr.2022.2831.

Breast cancer and communication: monocentric experience of a self-assessment questionnaire

Vittorio Longo  1 , Flavia Abruzzese  2 , Vittoria Miserocchi  3 , Serena Carriero  4 , Anna Clelia Gambaro  5 , Luca Saba  6 , Alessandro Carriero  7
Affiliations

Breast cancer and communication: monocentric experience of a self-assessment questionnaire

Vittorio Longo et al. J Public Health Res. .

Abstract

Background: The communication of the diagnosis of breast cancer induces to the patient a strong psychological trauma. Radiologists are at the forefront of communicating, either for a biopsy or the probable diagnosis of malignancy. This is a complex task, which requires the knowledge and application of correct "communicative models", among which the SPIKES protocol represents a fundamental reference.

Design and methods: 110 patients, with a history of breast cancer, filled out a questionnaire consisting of six questions: five aimed at defining communication compliance with the SPIKES protocol, the sixth, consisting of six feelings, aimed at the knowledge of the next emotional state.

Results: Regarding compliance with various "strategic points" of the SPIKES protocol, questionnaires show that 70% of patients reported no omissions, while the remaining 30% reported omissions relatively to perception (56%), emotions (23%), setting (13%), knowledge (6%) and invitation (2%). The results showed the existence of a correlation between the final emotional state and the correct application of the SPIKES protocol; in fact, patients who reacted with a positive final emotional state-reported greater adherence to the strategic points of the SPIKES protocol.

Conclusions: In healthcare, knowing the communicative compliance of a team in giving "bad news" is fundamental, especially in breast cancer. The SPIKES protocol is recognized by the Literature as a fundamental reference able to affect "positively" the emotional state of patients. The proposed questionnaire is a valid tool to identify the weak points of communication and related criticalities, to improve clinical practice.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Our sample demographic distribution.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentage of failure to implement the various steps of SPIKE protocol.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Patients' emotional state after the diagnosis communication.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
SPIKE protocol application frequency.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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