Provider-Patient Communication

Patient Population

Adult cancer patients

Intended Guideline Users

Oncology healthcare professionals interacting with cancer patients during critical points of care.

Research Question(s)

What aspects of provider-patient communication, at critical points of care, have an impact on clinical outcomes of cancer patients?

• The critical points of care of interest are diagnosis, recurrence, identification of metastases, and progressive disease.
• Outcomes of interest include psychosocial or emotional distress in patients (e.g., anxiety, depression), patient satisfaction, patient quality of life, and patient recall or understanding of information communicated by providers.
• The components of provider-patient communication that are the focus of this report are communication styles and approach. The clinical content and strategies related to specific clinical issues in each of the critical points of care are not the focus of this report.