Relationship between preferences for decisional control and illness information among women with breast cancer: A quantitative and qualitative analysis

Abstract

This study examined relationships between cancer patients' preference for involvement in making treatment decisions and preferences for information about diagnosis, treatment, side effects, and prognonsis. Participant were 35 women with stage Iand II breast cancer recruited from two medical oncology and radiation oncology clinics. Following adminstration of card sort measures of preference for involvement in treatment decision making and information needs, a semi-structured interviews was conducted to provide patients with an opportunity to elaborate on their role preferences and health care experiences. Results showed that patients who desired an active role in treatment decision making also desired detailed information. This relationship was not as clear for passive patients. Relative to passive patients, active patients desired significantly more datailed explanations of their diagnosis, treatment alternatives, and treatment procedures. Active also preferred that their physicians use the words ‘cancer’ or ‘malignancy’ when referring to their illness while passive patients preferred that their phusicians use a euphemism. Further research is needed to critically detail the advantages and disadvantages of the active and passive roles and their impact on disease progression and psyhcological well-being.