Does a prompt list help patients and caregivers to ask questions about cancer prognosis and care?
Maria Friedrichsen
Correspondence Palliative Education and Research Centre, Vrinnevi Hospital, 601 82 Norrköping, Sweden
Email marfr@isv.liu.se
This article has no abstract so we have provided the first paragraph of the full text.
Communication in oncology and PC is a complex area to investigate because of its sensitive nature. This ambitious study from Australia provides useful information on how to enhance patient and caregiver participation during consultations with the physician. The results showed that patients and family members who were randomized to the QPL group asked twice as many questions as controls without increasing their level of anxiety. These results are also confirmed by other studies. Glynne-Jones et al.1 found that 65% of patients with cancer thought the prompt sheet was very helpful. Bruera et al.2 confirmed that patients with breast cancer scored the prompt sheet as very helpful (8.47 of 10). These studies indicate that a prompt list should be used in clinical practice because a majority of patients, family members and physicians find it user-friendly. Patients become more active and may appreciate assistance in formulating questions about sensitive issues such as prognosis. A pivotal question is whether an increased number of questions during a consultation is a sign of quality or merely quantity.
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