Patient-initiated questions: How can doctors encourage them and improve the consultation process? A qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate the circumstances under which patients initiate direct questions in oncology consultations.

Design

Conversation analysis of 47 consultations between oncologists and patients with cancer.

Setting

An oncology clinic at a teaching hospital in the East Midlands.

Participants

16 Oncologists and 67 cancer patients.

Outcome measure

Patient initiated direct questions.

Results

On the whole patients' direct questions are designed to seek specific information regarding, the cancer itself, treatment options or their experience of symptoms. When patients do ask direct questions they typically follow the announcement of test results where some reference to the details of those results, is provided. More specifically, there seems to be a

SUBMITTER: Murtagh GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3808777 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature