The Patient-Healthcare Professional Relationship and Communication in the Oncology Outpatient Setting: A Systematic Review.
Anne Prip, Kirsten Alling Møller, Dorte Lisbet Nielsen and 3 others
PMID 28753191WHAT IT FOUND
Patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy said the relationship with nurses shaped coping and satisfaction.
They wanted understandable information, continuity, and time to raise concerns. A wish to stay positive could make them hide side effects.
Key findings
01Patients reported that relationships and communication with healthcare professionals, especially nurses, were linked to coping and satisfaction with outpatient chemotherapy.
02Patients reported unmet information and decision-making needs: 49% had a problem with information on handling adverse effects, 27% wanted more, and 48% of 4615 surveyed patients were not involved in treatment decisions.
03The expectation to stay positive could lead patients to underreport adverse effects and could make clinicians overlook concerns.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 9 studies were eligible, with small sample sizes and heterogeneity, so the results must be interpreted with caution. No intervention trials were included, so the review describes patient experiences and associations, not proof that communication improves outcomes. The quantitative studies did not use random or pseudorandom sampling, and some did not describe how patients were selected. Some included studies had patients receiving radiotherapy as a minor part of the population. The review mainly generated knowledge about the patient-nurse relationship because the included healthcare professionals were predominantly nurses. Certain cancer diagnosis groups were more represented than others, so results may not be representative of all patients with cancer.
Declared interests
The authors reported no funding or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these patient-reported associations as proof that communication training improves chemotherapy outcomes. The review included no intervention trials, and the patients' wish to stay positive may hide adverse effects rather than show that positivity helps treatment.