Cancer survivors' disclosure of complementary health approaches to physicians: The role of patient‐centered communication. Issue 6 (11th November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sohl, Stephanie J.; Borowski, Laurel A.; Kent, Erin E.; Smith, Ashley Wilder; Oakley‐Girvan, Ingrid; Rothman, Russell L.; Arora, Neeraj K.
• Is Part Of: Cancer. Volume 121:Issue 6(2015)
• Page Start: 900
• Page End: 907
• Publication Date: 2014-11-11
• Subjects: Cancer -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Cytopathology -- Periodicals; 616.99405
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.29138
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0008-543X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="cncr29138-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>Cancer survivors' disclosure of complementary health approaches (CHAs) to their follow‐up care physicians is necessary to ensure the safe and optimal use of such approaches. Rates of disclosure of CHAs are variable and may be facilitated by patient‐centered communication.</p> </sec> <sec id="cncr29138-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>METHODS</title> <p>This cross‐sectional study conducted in 2003‐2004 examined a population‐based sample of leukemia, colorectal, and bladder cancer survivors (n=623) who were 2 to 5 years after their diagnosis. A subset of participants who reported using CHAs (n=196) was analyzed with multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between patients' perceptions of their physician's patient‐centered communication (ie, information exchange, affective behavior, knowledge of patients as persons) and patients' disclosure of CHA use to their physician with adjustments for physician, patient, and patient‐physician relationship factors.</p> </sec> <sec id="cncr29138-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>RESULTS</title> <p>Thirty‐one percent of the full sample used CHAs, and 47.6% of CHA users disclosed their use to their physicians. Disclosure was significantly associated with patient‐centered communication even with adjustments for hypothesized covariates (odds ratio [OR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09‐1.71). Perceived physician knowledge of the patient as a person (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.10‐1.48) and information exchange (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02‐1.60) were the aspects of patient‐centered communication that contributed to this association. The main reason for nondisclosure assessed in the survey was that survivors did not think that it was important to discuss CHAs (67.0%). A majority of physicians encouraged continued use of CHAs when they were disclosed (64.8%).</p> </sec> <sec id="cncr29138-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> <p>Results support the idea that improving the overall patient centeredness of cancer follow‐up care and improving the disclosure of CHA use are potentially synergistic clinical goals. <bold><italic>Cancer</italic> 2015;121:900–907.</bold> © <italic>2014 American Cancer Society</italic>.</p> </sec> </abstract>