Cancer Patients Benefit From Full Access to Medical Records Study finds it boosts their satisfaction and trust in treatment

Cancer Patients Benefit From Full Access to Medical Records Study finds it boosts their satisfaction and trust in treatment By Mary Elizabeth Dallas MONDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer patients who are given full access to their medical records feel a greater sense of satisfaction about their treatment, a new study finds. The French researchers also found that providing comprehensive and accurate medical information built trust between patient and doctor. Published online May 23 in the journal Cancer, the study analyzed 295 patients recently diagnosed with lymphoma, breast or colon cancer. All were being treated with chemotherapy. The patients received either "on request information" or an organized medical record (OMR) -- a briefcase full of detailed information about their condition and treatment. That information included reports on everything from surgery to radiology and pathology results, along with nurse narratives and treatment observations. Along with the OMR, they were given guides on medical terms and how to understand the material, as well as help from medical staff to decipher the various documents. Ninety-eight percent of the patients who were offered an OMR chose to take it. Patients who received on-request information were only provided with information and medical records if they asked for them or their doctor offered them. Similar anxiety levels and quality-of-life scores were reported in the two groups. But, patients with OMRs were 1.68 times more likely to be satisfied with their medical information and were 1.86 times more likely to feel fully informed, the study authors noted. And 70.4 percent of the patients who received an OMR said they would choose again to receive it, with 74.8 percent saying they did not regret their choice. Moreover, the majority of those patients reported that the OMR had not been the source of any anxiety. "Information is crucial to make decisions regarding treatment options and, for the patient and his family, to better cope with the disease and its implications," study author Dr. Gwenaelle Gravis, of the Paoli-Calmettes Institute in Marseille, said in a news release from the journal's publisher. "Having full access to his own medical record with the possibility to consult it only if desired increases the patient's trust in the physician and medical team." SOURCE: Cancer, news release, May 23, 2011

Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis

Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis

A recent analysis of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey revealed that cancer survivors are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) compared with the general population. According to the data published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice, cancer survivors are also more likely to use CAM based on a recommendation by their health care providers and to talk to their health care providers about their CAM use.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine investigated CAM use, reasons and motivations for use, and communication of CAM use with health care providers among 23,393 American adults—1,471 cancer survivors and 21,922 non-cancer controls. The researchers found that 65 percent of cancer survivors have used CAM in their lifetime, and 43 percent used CAM in the past year. In contrast, only 53 percent of the non-cancer respondents used CAM in their lifetime, and 37 percent used CAM in the past year. The most common reasons for which cancer survivors reported using CAM were wellness or general disease prevention (29 percent); enhancement of immune function (11 percent); energy enhancement (11 percent); pain management (6 percent); psychological distress (2 percent); and insomnia (1 percent). Cancer survivors were more likely than the control group to use CAM for wellness and general disease prevention, enhancing immune function, and pain management.

Cancer survivors cited various motivations for using CAM therapies; nearly 15 percent reported using CAM on the advice of a friend, family member, or coworker, while approximately 13 percent used CAM because of a recommendation from a health care provider. Fewer used CAM because conventional medical treatments did not help (5 percent) or because conventional treatments were too expensive (2 percent). Although cancer survivors were more likely than the control group to talk about CAM use with their providers, they disclosed less than a quarter of their CAM use to them.

The authors of the analysis noted that this is the first study that uses a population-based approach to examine the specific motivations of cancer survivors for using CAM therapies, as well as the degree of communication between cancer survivors and their health care providers. Although cancer survivors communicated more about their CAM use than the general population, the authors emphasized the overall need for improving communication between patients and providers about CAM use to help ensure coordinated care.
Reference
Mao JJ, Palmer CS, Healy KE, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer survivors: a population-based study. Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice. 2011;5(1):8–17.

Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis

Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis

A recent analysis of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey revealed that cancer survivors are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) compared with the general population. According to the data published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice, cancer survivors are also more likely to use CAM based on a recommendation by their health care providers and to talk to their health care providers about their CAM use.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine investigated CAM use, reasons and motivations for use, and communication of CAM use with health care providers among 23,393 American adults—1,471 cancer survivors and 21,922 non-cancer controls. The researchers found that 65 percent of cancer survivors have used CAM in their lifetime, and 43 percent used CAM in the past year. In contrast, only 53 percent of the non-cancer respondents used CAM in their lifetime, and 37 percent used CAM in the past year. The most common reasons for which cancer survivors reported using CAM were wellness or general disease prevention (29 percent); enhancement of immune function (11 percent); energy enhancement (11 percent); pain management (6 percent); psychological distress (2 percent); and insomnia (1 percent). Cancer survivors were more likely than the control group to use CAM for wellness and general disease prevention, enhancing immune function, and pain management.

Cancer survivors cited various motivations for using CAM therapies; nearly 15 percent reported using CAM on the advice of a friend, family member, or coworker, while approximately 13 percent used CAM because of a recommendation from a health care provider. Fewer used CAM because conventional medical treatments did not help (5 percent) or because conventional treatments were too expensive (2 percent). Although cancer survivors were more likely than the control group to talk about CAM use with their providers, they disclosed less than a quarter of their CAM use to them.

The authors of the analysis noted that this is the first study that uses a population-based approach to examine the specific motivations of cancer survivors for using CAM therapies, as well as the degree of communication between cancer survivors and their health care providers. Although cancer survivors communicated more about their CAM use than the general population, the authors emphasized the overall need for improving communication between patients and providers about CAM use to help ensure coordinated care.
Reference
Mao JJ, Palmer CS, Healy KE, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer survivors: a population-based study. Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice. 2011;5(1):8–17.