Symptom-related patient-provider communication among women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy.
Meagan S Whisenant, Lorinda A Coombs, Christina Wilson and 1 others
PMID 34800823WHAT IT FOUND
Half of moderate-to-severe symptoms reported by women on chemotherapy were never discussed at clinic visits.
Older women were least likely to have symptoms addressed. When discussed, clinicians mostly assessed without providing new interventions. Do not assume silence means absence of distress.
Key findings
01Of 101 moderate-to-severe symptoms reported in the week prior to visits, only 50 (49.5%) were discussed during the subsequent clinic visit.
02Symptom discussions were significantly less likely to occur for older women: 18.8% of visits for women 60 or older, compared to 60% for women 40-49.
03The most common clinician response to symptom discussion was assessment without further intervention (77.8% when patient-initiated, 71.0% when clinician-initiated).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (10 women) limits generalizability. Single-site study with a homogeneous racial/ethnic sample. Symptom reports were not shared with providers, so the study measures natural communication patterns rather than the effect of provider access to data.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of discussion as lack of severity. The mean severity of discussed (5.98) and not discussed (5.88) symptoms did not differ statistically, meaning patients were equally distressed whether or not they spoke up.