Harmful communication behaviors in cancer care

Harmful communication behaviors in cancer care: A systematic review of patients and family caregivers perspectives

Westendorp, Janine (Universiteit Leiden)
Geerse, Olaf P. (Amsterdam UMC)
van der Lee, Marije L. (Tilburg University; Helen Dowling Institute, Bilthoven)
Schoones, Jan W. (Leiden University Medical Center)
van Vliet, Milon H.M. (Universiteit Leiden; Leiden University Medical Center)
Wit, Tamara (Universiteit Leiden)
Evers, A.W.M. (TU Delft Applied Ergonomics and Design; Universiteit Leiden)
van Vliet, Liesbeth M. (Universiteit Leiden)

2023

Objective: Issues regarding clinician communication remain an important source of complaints within healthcare. This systematic review aims to determine cancer patients' and their family caregivers' views on which clinicians' communication behaviors can harm (i.e. eliciting negative feelings/consequences for patients/family caregivers). Methods: We searched for all types of peer-reviewed studies that determined adult (≥18 years) cancer patients' and/or family caregivers' perspectives on which clinicians' communication behaviors can harm in several databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Emcare, PsycINFO and Academic Search Premier), supplemented by expert-consultation. Studies were screened using the Artificial intelligence screening tool of ASReview and data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis. To assess the quality of the studies the Qualsyst critical appraisal tool was used. Results: A total of 47 studies were included. Four main themes of harmful communication behaviors were identified: (1) Lack of tailored information provision (e.g. giving too little or too much/specific information) (2) Lack of tailored decision making (ranging from; patient exclusion, to the patients' responsibility, and/or haste) (3) Lack of feeling seen and heard (seen as a disease, not as a human being; not listened to concerns and emotions) (4) Lack of feeling held and remembered (forgotten agreements; lack of care continuity). Conclusions: Our results reveal an overview of patients' and family caregivers' perspectives on which clinicians' communication behaviors can harm. Harm could be prevented when information and decision involvement are tailored and patients' and family caregivers' needs to feel seen, heard, held and remembered are met.

cancer
communication
complaints
family caregiver perspective
harm
oncology
patient perspective
systematic review

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4ac42c22-c70e-4b50-b346-3483ceabf0c1

https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.6247

1057-9249

Psycho-Oncology, 32 (12), 1827-1838

Institutional Repository

review

© 2023 Janine Westendorp, Olaf P. Geerse, Marije L. van der Lee, Jan W. Schoones, Milon H.M. van Vliet, Tamara Wit, A.W.M. Evers, Liesbeth M. van Vliet