Communication predictors and consequences of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) discussions in oncology visits.

This was an observational study of usual visits, not a test of an intervention, so it cannot show that asking about CAM causes better satisfaction or safer care. Patients were mostly white, well-educated, native English speakers, and from Upper Midwest academic oncology practices, so results may not apply to more diverse patients or community settings. Patients judged by clinicians to be fragile were excluded, so it says little about the most unwell patients. CAM discussions may have been missed if they happened outside the recorded visit or had already been discussed with another clinician. The satisfaction findings were inconsistent: only overall patient satisfaction was higher, while clinician ratings and specific communication behaviour ratings were not. Clinician satisfaction scores were positively skewed and dichotomised. The size and direction of that finding are less clear.

The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural funding; the supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that routinely discussing CAM causes higher satisfaction or safer cancer care. This study only observed usual visits and found an association, and the satisfaction result was not consistent across all patient satisfaction measures.