Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3813502 | Patient Education and Counseling | 2013 | 8 Pages |
ObjectiveWe investigated whether the content of information provided by radiation oncologists and their information giving performance increase patients’ trust in them.MethodsQuestionnaires were used to assess radiotherapy patients (n = 111) characteristics before their first consultation, perception of information giving after the first consultation and trust before the follow-up consultation. Videotaped consultations were scored for the content of the information provided and information giving performance.ResultsPatients mean trust score was 4.5 (sd = 0.77). The more anxious patients were, the less they tended to fully trust their radiation oncologist (p = 0.03). Patients’ age, gender, educational attainment and anxious disposition together explained 7%; radiation oncologists’ information giving (content and performance) explained 3%, and patients’ perception of radiation oncologists’ information-giving explained an additional 4% of the variance in trust scores.ConclusionIt can be questioned whether trust is a sensitive patient reported outcome of quality of communication in highly vulnerable patients.Practice implicationsIt is important to note that trust may not be a good patient reported outcome of quality of care. Concerning radiation oncologists’ information giving performance, our data suggest that they can particularly improve their assessments of patients’ understanding.