ArticleCancer2022
Mind your words: Oncologists' communication that potentially harms patients with advanced cancer: A survey on patient perspectives.
Article in Cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Key challenges in communication across milestones of cancer care continuum: a systematic review.BMC palliative care · 2026Pooled it
- Prognostic disclosure in metastatic breast cancer: a scoping review.The oncologist · 2026Article
- Prognostic communication preferences of cancer patients: A hybrid concept analysis.International journal of nursing sciences · 2026Article
- Identifying hazards for psychological harm in cancer care using incident reports: searching for the invisible.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2025Article
- The COMCARE Framework for Person-Centred Communication-A Practical Caring Framework.Scandinavian journal of caring sciences · 2025Article
- Invisible harm in patient safety: a framework and definition for preventable psychological harm in cancer care.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Assessing delays in accessing and completing radiotherapy for cervical cancer treatment: A multicenter survey of oncology providers in go further-funded countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.Gynecologic oncology reports · 2025Article
- Are We Listening to Our Patients?Clinical journal of oncology nursing · 2025Article
- Being Seen as a Unique Person is Essential in Palliative Care at Home and Nursing Homes: A Qualitative Study With Patients and Relatives.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2025Article
- Review
- Healthcare Experiences and Needs of Older Adults Living With HIV: A Qualitative Study.Journal of clinical nursing · 2024Article
- Mind the gap: Comparing parents' information needs about impending preterm birth to current clinical practices using a mixed methods approach.PEC innovation · 2024Article
- "I couldn't say goodbye": Thematic analysis of interviews with bereaved relatives who lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Facilitating patient-oncologist communication in advanced treatment-resistant cancer: development and feasibility testing of a question prompt list.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2024Article
- Breast density knowledge and willingness to delay treatment for pre-operative breast cancer imaging among women with a personal history of breast cancer.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2024Article
- The influence of "bad news" and "neutral/good news" on patients' perception of physician empathy during oncology consultations.Cancer medicine · 2024Article
- A qualitative study on the healthcare experiences of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with an uncertain or poor cancer prognosis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Article
- Healthcare professionals' perceived barriers in providing palliative care in primary care and nursing homes: a survey study.Palliative care and social practice · 2023Article
- Characteristics of patients with advanced cancer preferring not to know prognosis: a multicenter survey study.BMC cancer · 2022Article
- 'A basic understanding'; evaluation of a blended training programme for healthcare providers in hospital-based palliative care to improve communication with patients with limited health literacy.BMC medical education · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMany complaints in medicine and in advanced illnesses are about communication. Little is known about which specific communications harm. This study explored the perspectives of patients with advanced cancer about potentially harmful communication behaviors by oncologists and helpful alternatives.
methodsAn online survey design was used that was based on literature scoping and patient/clinician/researcher input. Patients with advanced cancer (n = 74) reflected on the potential harmfulness of 19 communication situations. They were asked whether they perceived the situation as one in which communication could be harmful (yes/no). If they answered "yes," they were asked whether they perceived the examples as harmful (yes/no) or helpful (yes/no) and to provide open comments. Results were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively (content analysis).
resultsCommunication regarding information provision, prognosis discussion, decision-making, and empathy could be unnecessarily potentially harmful, and this occurred in various ways, such as making vague promises instead of concrete ones (92%), being too directive in decision-making (qualitative), and not listening to the patient (88%). Not all patients considered other situations potentially harmful (eg, introducing the option of refraining from anticancer therapy [49%] and giving too much [prognostic] information [60%]). Exploring each individual patients' needs/preferences seemed to be a precondition for helpful communication.
conclusionsThis article provides patient perspectives on oncologists' unnecessarily potentially harmful communication behaviors and offers practical tools to improve communication in advanced cancer care. Both preventable pitfalls and delicate challenges requiring an individualized approach, where exploration might help, are described. Although providing difficult and unwelcome news is a core task for clinicians, this study might help them to do so while preventing potentially unnecessary harm.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.