Patients' Emotional Talk During Surveillance Cystoscopy for Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Opportunities for...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Patient-Provider Communication
• Oncology

Background:

• Surveillance cystoscopy is crucial for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) management.
• Effective communication between patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) is vital for optimal patient care.
• Understanding the emotional dynamics during these procedures can enhance the patient experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the nature of emotional communication during surveillance cystoscopy for NMIBC.
• To identify how patients express emotions and how HCPs respond to these emotional cues.

Main Methods:

• Audio-recorded surveillance cystoscopies of 57 NMIBC patients and 10 HCPs.
• Verbatim transcription and analysis using template analysis and Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences.

Main Results:

• Emotional communication occurred in 41/57 consultations, with patients expressing 129 emotional cues, often indirectly.
• HCPs failed to explicitly acknowledge patient emotions in 86% of responses.
• Urology trainees showed less engagement in exploring patient emotional concerns compared to other HCPs.

Conclusions:

• The majority of NMIBC patients express emotions during cystoscopy, frequently through subtle cues.
• HCPs often miss opportunities to recognize and address patient emotional concerns, indicating a communication gap.
• Training HCPs to identify and respond to emotional cues can significantly improve patient-provider communication in NMIBC surveillance.