Disclosing the cancer diagnosis: what contributes to patient satisfaction?

Background: Despite the growing attention to the how, when and where of disclosing a cancer diagnosis, not all patients are satisfied with how the news is broken to them. As in German-speaking countries there is a lack of empirical studies on this subject, this analysis was conducted to determine how the cancer diagnosis was given in a German sample, and how satisfied the patients are with the disclosure experience.

Patients And Methods: 162 outpatients received a self-report questionnaire focusing on their experiences with physician-patient communication when the diagnosis was disclosed.

Results: Guidelines had been respected in most cases. 17% of patients were dissatisfied with the diagnosis disclosure. They reported a significantly shorter duration of the interaction, lack of privacy, deficits in understanding the information, and less emotional support by the physician.

Conclusion: Adherence to guidelines of diagnosis disclosure in the German sample was fairly high. Respecting both informational and emotional needs is essential for patient satisfaction and can be taught in communication training.