Communication among cancer patients, caregivers, and hospice nurses: Content, process and change over time

First, to describe communication of home hospice nurse visits to cancer patient-caregiver dyads. Second, to assess change in communication related to domains of care over the course of visits.

Multi-site prospective observational longitudinal study of audio-recorded home hospice visits (N=537 visits; 101 patient-caregiver dyads; 58 nurses). Communication was coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System to describe content and process. Conversation representing three care domains (physical, psychosocial/daily life, and emotional) was calculated from RIAS categories across speakers and analyzed to assess change in communication over time.

On average, nurses spoke 54% of total utterances, caregivers 29%, and patients 17%. For all participants, the predominant conversational focus was on physical care. Linear mixed effects models indicated that combined participant emotional talk showed a small systematic decrease over time; however, the results for all domains indicated variability unexplained by time or speaker effects.

Home hospice conversations are predominantly focused on physical care. Systematic change in communication versus responsiveness to the dynamic effects of patient death and family response over time are discussed.

Communication strategies already in use by hospice nurses could be leveraged and expanded upon to better facilitate family competence and confidence.