Feasibility of an audiotape intervention for patients with cancer: A multicenter, randomized, controlled pilot study

Empirical evidence supports the conclusion that audiotapes of patient-oncologist consultations are well received by the majority of cancer patients. Patients who have received these audiotapes report reduced psychological distress and improved satisfaction. A pilot study evaluated the impact of giving patients a choice of receiving an audiotape of their primary treatment consultation. The participants in the multicentered, randomized, controlled study were 36 patients with breast or prostate cancer. Measures of decisional role preference, anxiety, satisfaction, recall of information, and perceptions of oncologists' likability and expertise were administered before and after the consultation and six weeks later. At follow-up, recall of information was significantly greater among patients who chose to receive the audiotape. Furthermore, the patients who, at follow-up, recalled the most information had the highest degree of satisfaction with patient-physician communication. The results suggested that the intervention is a practical, effective, and inexpensive means of enhancing patient-physician communication, facilitating recall of information, and fostering patient satisfaction.