Abstract
ObjectiveTo identify what matters to clinicians and patients when discussing cancer medicines’ impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL).MethodsA framework of HRQoL domain/domain elements was developed, informed by analysis of published patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), applicable to prostate cancer. Using mixed methods (eDelphi, Nominal Group Technique and questionnaire), prostate cancer clinicians and patients attending prostate cancer clinics and support groups were asked which domains/domain elements would be important to them when discussing the impact prostate cancer medicines have on their HRQoL.ResultsTwenty-one clinicians and 71 patients participated from the West of Scotland. Clinicians and patients identified 53/62 domain elements across seven domains as important, of which 32 (60%) were common to both groups. Clinicians placed more importance than patients on Mood & Emotion; in contrast, patients placed importance on a broader range of Symptoms & Side Effects, being informed about their care, and having effective healthcare professional collaboration.ConclusionThis study provides insight into the similarities and differences between what clinicians and patients think is important when discussing the impact of cancer medicines on HRQoL. Future research should involve exploring the potential for consistency of medicines PROMs across different cancer types to support patient-clinician communication and drive improvements in care.
Highlights
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally [1]
The ability to monitor treatment impact on a patient’s well-being can support patient/clinician decision-making about treatment and care, and may improve outcomes [8]; at the population level, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly being considered as part of the assessment of overall clinical effectiveness and the value of cancer medicines [9, 10]
Instead, based on a literature review aimed at identifying available patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) tools to inform the study material, consensus methods were used to establish which areas of HRQoL represented within existing tools are most important to the study population, with a view to exploring what is valuable in the tools already available
Summary
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally [1]. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Europe, accounting for 24% of all newly diagnosed cancers in 2018 with an estimated 450,000 new diagnoses [2]. As survival rates improve and more patients are living with cancer, a shift away from solely offering supportive palliative care at the end of life [5] has resulted in an interest in assessing Quality of Life (QoL) among cancer patients throughout their journey [6], in addition to standard clinical outcomes such as overall survival. The ability to monitor treatment impact on a patient’s well-being can support patient/clinician decision-making about treatment and care, and may improve outcomes [8]; at the population level, HRQoL is increasingly being considered as part of the assessment of overall clinical effectiveness and the value of cancer medicines [9, 10]
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