CONTINUITY OF THE DOCTOR-PATIENT-RELATIONSHIP DURING THE ROUTINE FOLLOW-UP OF A BREAST-CANCER PATIENT

All 551 breast cancer patients diagnosed in 1977-1980 in the Tampere U niversity Hospital District (Finland) were followed-up for 5 years. Th e patients experienced a total of 1778 woman years during the first 5 years of follow-up. There were more than 20 visits in the first 5 pati ent years, most to hospitals with specialists in surgery or oncology. Patients saw the same doctor twice, on average, and met an average of 10 different doctors during the 5-year follow-up. The case notes consi sted of virtually complete information on the diagnostic tests and dis ease but rather incomplete information on patients' well-being. It is concluded that the continuity of the doctor/patient relationship was p oor, and that consulting the same physician would probably improve the quality of life among breast cancer patients.