Is there a relationship between psychological well-being and patient-carers consensus? A clinical pilot study

Does communication with terminal cancer patients about their disease influence their psychological well-being? The degree of patient-carer consensus about the disease was compared to psychological wellbeing related to acceptance of the disease, emotional state, and hope. These were evaluated and scored from 6 (good) to 0 (poor) through a semi-structured interview of 10 open-ended questions. Nineteen palliative care patients were studied, 18 of whom were suffering from advanced cancer. Overall, 57 interviews were conducted with the patients, staff nurses, and medical doctors. The answers of the carers (staff nurses and doctors) were compared to the patients' answers to determine the degree of consensus in terms of communication about disease, aim of treatment, and ultimate objective of hospitalization. The consensus between patients and carers was scored from 6 (satisfactory) to 0 (unsatisfactory). A significant positive correlation between the scores of consensus and those of psychological well-being (r=0.90, p<0.001) was found. These results suggest that good and truthful communication may improve patients' psychological well-being.