Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of an electronic survey to assess patients' knowledge of their breast cancer and treatment, and interest in receiving a medical summary. Methods: Women undergoing breast cancer treatment completed an interviewer-administered electronic survey in person or by telephone. Medical records were abstracted to evaluate knowledge accuracy. Results: Among 38 eligible patients approached for the study, 35 (92%) participated and 33 (94%) completed the survey. Participants' perceived knowledge tended to be greater than their actual knowledge. Reporting of clinicopathologic features was most accurate for stage (91%) and lymph node status (88%), and least accurate for tumor size (61%), type (61%), and grade (33%). Accurate reporting of tumor receptor over-expression varied from 76% (estrogen receptor) to 39% (progesterone receptor). Many patients correctly recalled general treatment modalities and details of surgery; fewer recalled details of radiation and chemotherapy. Importantly, nearly all (32/33) were interested in receiving a breast cancer medical summary. Conclusion: An electronic survey is feasible to assess breast cancer patients' knowledge. This data suggest that patients have gaps in knowledge and would like a personalized medical summary. Practice implications: Larger studies are needed to validate and characterize knowledge gaps, and test interventions to improve physician-patient information sharing.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 321-329 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Patient Education and Counseling |
Volume | 89 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Breast cancer
- Cancer survivorship
- Information-sharing
- Patient knowledge
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)