Abstract
Purpose
Communication with health care providers is important to help meet cancer patients' information and support needs. It can significantly affect the extent to which patients feel cared for, respected and involved, and it can influence a range of cancer care processes and outcomes. This paper presents findings from a study which explored urological cancer patients' experiences of care, focussing on insights into what they appeared to value in their interactions with health care providers and why.
Method
In-depth interviews were undertaken with 20 men and 6 women with different types of urological cancer at a range of times since diagnosis. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using an established interpretive approach.
Results
Patients valued being treated as someone who mattered and was worthy of care; being recognised and responded to as an individual; and experiencing support for autonomy/agency. Reasons for their valuations related to the implications of communicative interactions for the ways patients thought health professionals related to them ‘as persons’. Our findings highlight the value of relational aspects of communication for: indicating to patients what clinicians think of their worth; facilitating individualised care; and enabling patients to contribute to their own care.
Conclusions
Efforts to improve health care provider-patient communication should attend not only to the transfer of information about the condition and its management but to the range of features of interactions that can signal to people how health care providers relate to them as persons.
Communication with health care providers is important to help meet cancer patients' information and support needs. It can significantly affect the extent to which patients feel cared for, respected and involved, and it can influence a range of cancer care processes and outcomes. This paper presents findings from a study which explored urological cancer patients' experiences of care, focussing on insights into what they appeared to value in their interactions with health care providers and why.
Method
In-depth interviews were undertaken with 20 men and 6 women with different types of urological cancer at a range of times since diagnosis. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using an established interpretive approach.
Results
Patients valued being treated as someone who mattered and was worthy of care; being recognised and responded to as an individual; and experiencing support for autonomy/agency. Reasons for their valuations related to the implications of communicative interactions for the ways patients thought health professionals related to them ‘as persons’. Our findings highlight the value of relational aspects of communication for: indicating to patients what clinicians think of their worth; facilitating individualised care; and enabling patients to contribute to their own care.
Conclusions
Efforts to improve health care provider-patient communication should attend not only to the transfer of information about the condition and its management but to the range of features of interactions that can signal to people how health care providers relate to them as persons.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-40 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | European Journal of Oncology Nursing |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2014 |
Keywords
- cancer
- communication
- patient/person centred care
Access to Document
- Skea 2013
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in European Journal of Oncology Nursing. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY NURSING, [VOL 18, ISSUE 1, (2014)] DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2013.09.009
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James N'Dow
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Applied Health Sciences - Chair in Surgery (Clin)
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences
- Academic Urology Unit
Person: Clinical Academic
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Zoe Skea
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Health Services Research Unit (HSRU) - Lecturer (Scholarship), Research Fellow
Person: Academic Related - Scholarship, Academic Related - Research