Patient oncologist communication, in and out of network – pro
Over the past years, there has been an increasing interest in involving the cancer patients in the decision making regarding the therapy management due to several factors. The most important aspect to be taken into consideration is the principle of patient autonomy. More and more patients have become interested in making informed decisions regarding their therapy options and physicians need to be able to provide data on the aspect. Some patient-physician models have been proposed and used for 40 years now. Still, the debate is very important for most of the physicians due to the shifts in the approach.” (State et al 2015).
“Among patients in general, good patient-provider communication has been associated with improved patient behaviors including increased treatment adherence (Schoenthaler, Allegrante, Chaplin, & Ogedegbe, 2012) and improved disease self-management (Dorflinger, Kerns, & Auerbach, 2013). Improvements in patient health outcomes have also been reported including improved symptom resolution, physical functioning, physiological status (e.g., blood pressure, HbA1c) and pain (Stewart, 1995). Studies specifically focused on cancer patients have shown similar impact on patient’s treatment participation (Street & Voigt, 1997), self-management behaviors (Walling et al., 2016) and physical and emotional health outcomes (Lake et al., 2014).” (Li et al 2017).
“We also found that the density of covered oncologists (oncologists per 100,000 residents) was similar between markets with and without NCI-Designated or NCCN Cancer Centers, even though networks were narrower (the majority included fewer than half of oncologists) in markets that contained an NCI-Designated or NCCN Cancer Center. This finding somewhat reassuringly suggests that overall access to providers of cancer care may be similar in markets with and without NCI-Designated or NCCN Cancer Centers.” (Yasaitis et al 2017).
“In a follow-up meta-analysis of how doctor-patient communication affected outcomes, Stewart8 noted that the quality of communication during history-taking and management also affects outcomes (eg, frequency of visits, emotional health, and symptom resolution) and that such communication extended beyond creation of the “plan.” The manner in which a physician communicates with a patient (even while gathering information) influences how often, and if at all, a patient will return to that same physician. Furthermore, the quality of communication between doctor and patient involves assessment of the doctor’s willingness to include a patient in the decision-making process, to provide a patient with information programs, and to ask a patient about his or her explanatory model of illness (ie, the perception of the disease as influenced by personal customs and beliefs).9,10″ (Chipidza et al 2015).
PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATION/LITERATURE:
Chipidza, F. E., Wallwork, R. S., & Stern, T. A. (2015). Impact of the Doctor-Patient Relationship. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 17(5), 10.4088/PCC.15f01840. doi:10.4088/PCC.15f01840.
Li, C. C., Matthews, A. K., Dossaji, M., & Fullam, F. (2017). The Relationship of Patient-Provider Communication on Quality of Life among African-American and White Cancer Survivors. Journal of health communication, 22(7), 584592. doi:10.1080/10810730.2017.1324540.
State, M., Briceag, I., Popescu, B., Scauna?u, R., & Armean, P. (2015). Ups and downs in physician – cancer patient relationship. Journal of medicine and life, 8(1), 3740.
Yasaitis, L., Bekelman, J. E., & Polsky, D. (2017). Relation Between Narrow Networks and Providers of Cancer Care. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 35(27), 31313135. doi:10.1200/JCO.2017.73.2040.