Facilitating Caring Communication for People With Cancer: The Case of Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine patients' health communication needs during the first 6 months of care by interviewing patients with breast cancer (as well as their families, caregivers, and healthcare teams) and observing interactions between patients and oncologists throughout the trajectory of care from initial diagnosis through the initial treatment course.
• Determine patients' health communication needs at the point of bone metastases by interviewing patients with breast cancer (as well as their families, caregivers, and healthcare teams) and observing interactions between patients and oncologists in the Hematology-Oncology Clinic.
• Develop Patient Education Programs to help meet patients' health communication needs by conveying information about essential elements of cancer care in a clear and consistent manner, thus allowing clinicians to focus more attention on answering questions, engaging in counseling, and responding to emotional issues.
• Create a Patient Education Program that models effective strategies for asking questions and expressing concerns and needs for symptom control (i.e., pain, anxiety, depression).
• Develop Patient Narrative Videos, with women identified by their providers, to provide members of the healthcare team with a better understanding of the patient experience and issues that arise for patients outside the formal health care setting.
• Conduct a pilot test to determine whether the Patient Education Programs affect patients' experience of care, sense of control, and perceptions of caring communication, as well as knowledge, satisfaction, anxiety, depression, pain, and self-reported health.
• Determine patient and family response to Patient Narrative Videos and healthcare team response to Patient Narrative Videos and Patient Education Programs.

OUTLINE: This is a pilot, multicenter study.

A visit between the patient and his/her oncologist and healthcare team is videorecorded. Patients, family members, caregivers, and healthcare team members then undergo a 10-minute interview. Patients then undergo a 5-minute follow-up interview once every 2 weeks for 6 months. Some patients may participate in a one-time group discussion.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 120 patients will be accrued for this study.