Improving the Initial Breast Cancer Consultation.

Area of Science:

• Oncology Nursing
• Quality Improvement in Healthcare
• Patient Education

Background:

• Providing adequate information to cancer patients offers numerous benefits.
• Assessing and improving initial consultations to meet patient information needs is crucial for nurse practitioners.
• Current methods for evaluating patient information satisfaction post-consultation require enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a low-cost, continuous quality improvement (CQI) process focused on reducing patient distress and increasing information satisfaction.
• To determine the effectiveness and feasibility of this CQI process in the context of initial breast cancer consultations.
• To provide a practical framework for nurse practitioners to enhance patient communication and support.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 59 women undergoing initial breast cancer consultations.
• Patients completed validated questionnaires measuring distress and information needs pre- and post-consultation.
• Qualitative methods were used to assess the feasibility of the implemented CQI process.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant decrease in median distress scores (from 5 to 3, p < .017) was observed post-intervention.
• Key areas of information dissatisfaction were identified, guiding targeted improvements.
• The CQI process was qualitatively evaluated and deemed feasible for integration into clinical practice.

Conclusions:

• The piloted CQI process is effective in reducing patient distress and improving information satisfaction.
• This feasible, low-cost intervention can be readily embedded into routine practice for nurse practitioners.
• Continuous quality improvement is vital for optimizing the initial breast cancer consultation experience.