[Acceptance of and satisfaction with medical information provided to cancer patients]

Medical information to oncologic patients about their disease as well as regularly updated information about the course of their disease and the therapeutic success are essential components of a comprehensive treatment in cancer patients.

The quality of the patient-doctor-interaction as well as the hospital preference of oncologic patients were evaluated by a questionnaire at the Oncologic Out-Patient Clinic of the University Hospital of Vienna.

350 questionnaires containing 12 questions about medical information, anti-cancer therapy, suggestions for improvement and hospital preference were distributed. The questions were correlated with the patients' demographic and medical data.

Out of 350 questionnaires, 234 (67%)--160 (68%) by women and 74 (32%) by men--were returned. 75% of the patients were satisfied with the provided medical information. In contrast, 12% of patients felt incompletely informed about their particular cancer and 19% were unsatisfied with their state of information about the actual status of their disease. Our institution was mostly visited for quality-associated reasons and only in 3% for pragmatic reasons. 58% of the patients had no suggestions for improvement of medical care, although 28% of the patients wanted to spend more time with their doctors, 10% asked for more psychological care and 8% for additional alternative therapeutic modalities.

The Oncologic Out-Patient Clinic is frequented mainly for quality-associated reasons. Although satisfaction with medical management is very high, there remains space for improvement of information about the underlying disease and its current status.