COMMUNICATING WITH AND TREATING CANCER-PATIENTS - HOW DOES THE USE OFNON-PROVEN THERAPIES AND PATIENTS FEELING OF MENTAL DISTRESS INFLUENCE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PATIENT AND THE HOSPITAL STAFF

A questionnaire-based study was carried out at the Department of Oncol ogy, University Hospital of Tromso, during the period July 1990-Octobe r 1991. The 252 participating patients received a questionnaire at arr ival at the oncology unit and the surviving patients a follow-up quest ionnaire at home 4 months later. The aim of the study was to assess wh ether patients' attitudes to information about their malignant disease and satisfaction with the given treatment correlated to their use of non-proven therapies (NPTs) and reported mental distress. Patients und er 45 years of age significantly more often preferred comprehensive me dical information than older patients (83% versus 52%, P = 0.001). Bet ter educated patients were more satisfied with the information given b y their general practitioner (GP) (P = 0.05) and at their local hospit al (P = 0.02) than other patients. Of all responders, 81% of the patie nts treated in the department were completely satisfied with the oppor tunities to ask questions while 87% reported being given comprehensive information. Only 2% of the patients reported to have received unwant ed information. Better educated patients expressed less satisfaction w ith the information given and the possibility of influencing their own treatment at the Department of Oncology (P = 0.02). Patients expressi ng mental distress wanted less information (P = 0.05) and expressed le ss satisfaction with the quality of the perceived information in the o ncology unit (P = 0.004). They were also less satisfied with the treat ment given (P = 0.05) and their own influence on the treatment decisio n (P = 0.02). Users of NPT did not feel the received treatment to be t he best possible (P = 0.04). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.