Cue-responding behaviours of oncology nurses in video-simulated interviews.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to describe nurse-patient interactions, i.e. nurses' cue-responding behaviour in encounters with actors playing the role of patients.

Background: Patients with cancer seldom express their concerns directly but express cues instead. Few studies empirically investigated nurses' cue-responding behaviour and the subsequent influence of disclosure of cues and concerns.

Methods: In this descriptive observational study, conducted from April to June 2004, five oncology nurses interviewed an actor playing the role of a patient with cancer. Each nurse performed seven different interviews (n = 35); these were videotaped and subsequently rated for cue-responding using the Medical Interview Aural Rating Scale. Mixed model analysis was used to investigate the relation between cues and cue-responding.

Findings: Half of the patients' cues were responded to with distancing behaviours. The other half of the cues were either explored (33%) or acknowledged (17%). In 16% of these responses, nurses used open directive questions. One out of four open directive questions were used as a distancing response, suggesting that open directive questions are not used to explore or acknowledge cues of patients. Cue-responding influenced subsequent expression of concerns and emotions, i.e. disclosure of a concern is two times higher after exploration or acknowledging of a preceding cue than after a distancing response.

Conclusion: Cue-responding is a valuable concept which can contribute to our understanding of optimal ways of communicating. Cue-responding behaviour facilitates the disclosure of worries and concerns of patients. Further research is needed to assess the clinical relevancy of cue-responding.