Determinants of patient–oncologist prognostic discordance in advanced cancer.
Gramling R, Fiscella K, Xing G, et al. Determinants of Patient-Oncologist Prognostic Discordance in Advanced Cancer. JAMA Oncol. 2016;2(11):1421-1426. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.1861.
Suboptimal communication between patients and physicians can result in patients misunderstanding important aspects of their care. This study found that the majority of patients with cancer reported a more optimistic survival prognosis than their oncologists. These findings suggest the need to improve physician–patient communication about prognosis in order to ensure appropriate discussion of treatment decisions and goals.