Prof Fallowfield, head of Cancer Research UKs Psychosocial Oncology Group at the University of Sussex, designed a major randomised controlled trial to measure the effect of the training course on the psychosocial attitudes and beliefs of cancer doctors and on the way they communicated with patients after the course. Around 160 doctors and over 2,000 patients at 34 cancer centres throughout the UK took part in the study. One part of it involved 93 doctors who were randomised to attend a three-day residential course or to a control group that did not. Before and after attending the course they completed a questionnaire on their psychosocial beliefs. They were videoed carrying out patient consultations before and after the course, and they also completed a self-assessment questionnaire after the course, recording how they perceived their communication skills had changed.

Prof Fallowfield said: We found that doctors who attended the course showed significantly more positive attitudes and beliefs towards psychosocial issues compared to those who were not on the course. This improvement was reflected in the analysis of the video-taped recordings of their communication behaviour with patients, which was significantly more patient-centred. The course group exhibited more empathy, used fewer leading questions, made more appropriate responses to patient cues and did more psychosocial probing than those who did not attend a course. These objective findings matched the doctors own subjective reports on how they perceived changes in their communication style with patients.

These findings are important because there are many examples of positive benefits for patients
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Contact: Emma Mason
44-7711-296-986
Federation of European Cancer Societies
21-Mar-2002