Does being informed and feeling informed affect patients' trust in their radiation oncologist?

OBJECTIVE

We investigated whether the content of information provided by radiation oncologists and their information giving performance increase patients' trust in them.

METHODS

Questionnaires were used to assess radiotherapy patients (n=111) characteristics before their first consultation, perception of information giving after the first consultation and trust before the follow-up consultation. Videotaped consultations were scored for the content of the information provided and information giving performance.

RESULTS

Patients mean trust score was 4.5 (sd=0.77). The more anxious patients were, the less they tended to fully trust their radiation oncologist (p=0.03). Patients' age, gender, educational attainment and anxious disposition together explained 7%; radiation oncologists' information giving (content and performance) explained 3%, and patients' perception of radiation oncologists' information-giving explained an additional 4% of the variance in trust scores.

CONCLUSION

It can be questioned whether trust is a sensitive patient reported outcome of quality of communication in highly vulnerable patients.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is important to note that trust may not be a good patient reported outcome of quality of care. Concerning radiation oncologists' information giving performance, our data suggest that they can particularly improve their assessments of patients' understanding.