Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep:4:1-10.
doi: 10.1200/JGO.17.00144.

Desire for Information and Preference for Participation in Treatment Decisions in Patients With Cancer Presenting to the Department of General Surgery in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Sushmitha Dharani Sankar, Baskaran Dhanapal, Gomathi Shankar, Balamourougan Krishnaraj, Sandhya Karra, Vignesh Natesan

Desire for Information and Preference for Participation in Treatment Decisions in Patients With Cancer Presenting to the Department of General Surgery in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Sushmitha Dharani Sankar et al. J Glob Oncol. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Providing appropriate information to patients about their illness helps them to cope with the diagnosis. Shared decision making is a key concept in managing patients with cancer. There are no data available about the desire for information and preference for participation in treatment decisions among Indian patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of patients who have information needs and to study the patient preference for participation in treatment decisions and the factors associated with them.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients with cancer older than 18 years. They were interviewed with a questionnaire after signing an informed consent. The association of sex, educational level, residence, diagnosis (type of cancer), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and treatment status with information needs and decision-making preference was analyzed using χ2 test.

Results: Approximately 81% of patients said that they had an absolute need to know if the illness was cancer, and > 70% of patients either had an absolute need to know or would like to know about the prognosis, treatment options, and adverse effects. Regarding the decision-making preferences, 97% wanted their treating physicians to make the decision regarding their treatment, and 66% preferred to share decision making with their family.

Conclusion: The majority of the patients with cancer expressed a need for knowing whether they had cancer. When it comes to treatment decisions, most of them preferred a passive role, and the majority wanted to involve their families in the decision-making process. We recommend that the treating physician should elicit the patient's preference in participating in treatment decisions and their preference about involving their family in making treatment decisions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Fallowfield LJ, Hall A, Maguire GP, et al. Psychological outcomes of different treatment policies in women with early breast cancer outside a clinical trial. BMJ. 1990;301:575–580. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wei S, Chen F, Chen H, et al. Patients’ and family members’ decision-making and information disclosure preferences in a single-center survey in China: A pilot study. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2016;33:733–741. - PubMed
    1. Jenkins V, Fallowfield L, Saul J. Information needs of patients with cancer: Results from a large study in UK cancer centres. Br J Cancer. 2001;84:48–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chaturvedi SK, Loiselle CG, Chandra PS. Communication with relatives and collusion in palliative care: A cross-cultural perspective. Indian J Palliat Care. 2009;15:2–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Laxmi S, Khan JA. Does the cancer patient want to know? Results from a study in an Indian tertiary cancer center. South Asian J Cancer. 2013;2:57–61. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources