Breast neoplasms: information in question(s). A survey of patients and physicians at a cancer treatment center

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to know the wishes of our patients for information and to compare them with the point of view of our colleagues in a cancer center. METHODS: We gave 100 consecutive new patients with breast cancer a questionnaire about their needs. The same questionnaire was given in duplicate to all our colleagues in the cancer center (n = 53) asking: 1) their own needs of information if they had breast cancer 2) how they thought the patients would answer. RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of the patients and 81% of the doctors returned the questionnaire (28 were men and 15 women; 81% were involved in the management of breast cancer). On one hand, concerning information about the disease and about the treatment, there was no difference between the needs expressed by patients of doctors (as patients). As expected, the two groups wanted to be well informed. On the other hand, there was always a statistically significant difference between the needs expressed by patients and the opinion of doctors who systematically underestimated them. Concerning information to the family, 21% of doctors and only 4% of patients didn't want any information to be given to their family. Interestingly, 67% of the patients thought the decision had to be taken together with the doctor and 56% of the doctors (as patients) wished the decision to be taken by the doctor. CONCLUSION: Patients and physicians if they were patients, expressed the same high level need of information, but the patients needs seemed underestimated by the majority of doctors.