Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2005 Oct;14(10):875-84; discussion 885-6.
doi: 10.1002/pon.947.

Is there a cost to poor communication in cancer care?: a critical review of the literature

Sally E Thorne  1 , Barry D Bultz, Walter F Baile; SCRN Communication Team
Affiliations
Review

Is there a cost to poor communication in cancer care?: a critical review of the literature

Sally E Thorne et al. Psychooncology. 2005 Oct.

Abstract

In this paper, the authors engage in a critical analysis of the existing empirical literature which addresses the impact of ineffective communication between cancer patients and clinicians. It is increasingly accepted that communication plays a significant role in many aspects of the care experience, and that poor communication can have a significantly negative influence on the patient's psychosocial experience, symptom management, treatment decisions, and quality of life. However, scant attention has been given to the idea that poor communication may also have an economic impact worthy of attention. This area has not been the focus of systematic inquiry or substantive critical consideration. On the basis of critical analysis of the limited empirical evidence that exists across a wide range of studies in related areas, the authors propose that the existential and material costs associated with poor communication in cancer care may well be considerable, and conclude with a call to mobilize a heightened enthusiasm for addressing the research challenges in this field.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

-