Retrospective analysis of communication with patients undergoing radiological breast biopsy

This study explored the perceptions of women after receiving breast biopsy results over the phone in order to determine patient preferences about the timing, setting, and provider they preferred when receiving biopsy results. Participants were recruited at a large university cancer center and surveyed by phone approximately 2 weeks after they received biopsy results. A 24-item survey was developed concerning how the biopsy results were communicated, the communication skills of the person reporting the diagnosis, and ways to improve the communication of results. The survey also asked about the relative importance of hearing the results quickly, from the most knowledgeable provider, from a primary care physician, or in person. We surveyed 59 patients (25 cancer, 34 benign). Patients from both groups were satisfied with the communication skills of the person who gave the results. However, patients with cancer and patients undergoing their first breast biopsy were more likely to need additional materials to understand their results (P = 0.018, P = 0.036, respectively). Both cancer and benign groups ranked hearing the results quickly as the most important aspect of communication and hearing the results in person as least important. This study suggests that patients value hearing cancer diagnoses quickly more than in person. Patients having their first biopsy or with a diagnosis of cancer would prefer to have additional materials to help them understand their diagnosis.