Context
Effective communication is a key element of cancer care and contributes to better patient outcomes. It is important that a relationship of trust and open two-way communication between the treatment team and patients and their families is established early and continued throughout the metastatic breast cancer care pathway.
Communication should be sensitive, with the detail and timing of information tailored to the individual patient and their wishes. It is also important to facilitate collaborative and effective involvement with the patient’s family. Communication skills such as actively listening to patients, using a patient-centred style, and recognising and responding appropriately to patients’ verbal and non-verbal cues, contribute to effective communication and can be improved through communication skills training.
Information should be provided on a range of aspects, including prognosis and intent of treatment, potential benefits and harms of treatment (including complementary and alternative therapies), clinical trials, supportive and palliative care, and costs and practical implications of treatment. Information should be comprehensive, evidence-based and easy to understand.
Guidelines recommend communicating in a culturally sensitive way and providing appropriate information for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, the multidisciplinary team should include a health professional with expertise in providing culturally appropriate care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Studies have shown that patients with metastatic breast cancer report difficulty in finding comprehensive information, especially information specific to metastatic breast cancer, and an Australian survey has confirmed patients’ unmet information needs.
Value to patients
Two-way, sensitive and culturally appropriate communication with their treatment team can empower patients to make their preferences and concerns known, and be actively involved in shared decision making about their care. Effective communication and patient-centred information about treatment options, and the availability of supportive and palliative care, helps patients to understand more about their disease and treatment, and to make informed choices about their treatment and care.
1. A culturally appropriate health professional may be an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker, Health Practitioner, or Hospital Liaison Officer.
Supporting references
Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) Member Survey Report. For public distribution - November 2017 [accessed February 2019]
Cancer Australia. Communication skills training. https://canceraustralia.gov.au/clinical-best-practice/cancer-learning/co...
Cancer Council Australia. Optimal care pathway for women with breast cancer. 2015. https://www.cancervic.org.au/for-health-professionals/optimal-care-pathways
Cancer Australia and Cancer Council Australia. Optimal care pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer. 2018. https://canceraustralia.gov.au/publications-and-resources/cancer-austral...
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