Relationships Between Cancer Disclosure Strategies and Patients’ Hope: A Survey of Cancer Patients’ Perceptions in China

• In Event: High-Density: 2014 Interpersonal Potpourri

Abstract

How bad news is delivered influences patients’ understanding, treatment decisions, adherence to treatment, adjustment, their subjective well-being, satisfaction, and even their survival. Most patients prefer their physicians to convey some measure of hope when delivering bad news. The current study intended to investigate the relationships between perceived cancer diagnosis disclosure strategies and cancer patients’ hope in China. A total number of 89 effective questionnaires were collected from cancer patients in China. Results indicated that perceived patient-centered communication strategies of cancer disclosure were positively correlated with levels of hope, that perceived disclosure of multiple treatments options was negatively correlated with patients’ levels of hope, and that the perceived levels of the completeness of information are positively correlated with the levels of hope. Perceived use of euphemisms was marginally significant and that greater perceived physicians’ use of euphemisms predicts higher levels of hope.

Authors

• Weidan Cao, Temple University

• Xiaona Qi, Harbin Medical U Cancer Hospital

• Ting Yao, Jianghan U