Communicating Oncologic Prognosis with Empathy (COPE).

Abstract

38 Background: Clear communication between patients and providers is imperative to maximize patient outcomes, particularly for patients with incurable cancer who require prompt engagement in decision-making. In response to the need to engage in quality patient-centered communication, an interprofessional team, representing medicine, nursing, social work, and spiritual care developed a simple, single-page tool that summarizes the prognosis and treatment plan for patients with incurable cancers. This pilot study evaluates the communication guide, Communicating Oncologic Prognosis with Empathy (COPE), for discussing prognosis and treatment options for cancer patients. Methods: A pilot test of 30 participants with incurable cancer was completed at an oncology clinic. The communication guide was evaluated using a pre- and post-test design, participants completed a prognosis and treatment perception survey (PTPQ) prior to their first oncology appointment. Patients then met with their oncologist and the COPE guide was used to guide the discussion and patients received a copy of the COPE guide. The COPE guide was placed in the patient chart and other members of the healthcare team were able to use the tool to provide the patient with support and explore the patient’s response to information received. Patients completed the post-test PTPQ at 4 week follow up and completed exit interviews to assess patient reported impact on communication with medical team, caregivers, and quality of life. Results: Key findings revealed participants prefer receiving detailed information about prognosis and have differing perceptions about goals of treatment compared to the oncology team. The tool seemed to facilitate mostly accurate information recall regarding prognosis and treatment options. Conclusions: Despite the high value patients placed on knowing about prognosis and quality of communication with their medical team, the majority reported incongruent goals of treatment and likelihood of cure compared with their oncologist, highlighting major gaps in patients’ understanding of their prognosis. The COPE guide serves as a promising mechanism to enhance patient-centered communication about prognosis and treatment for patients with incurable cancer.