When Limited Clinical Time With Patients Meets Unlimited Online Information

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Communication
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Patients with cancer increasingly seek health information online, potentially displacing the patient-clinician relationship with unreliable data.
• Insufficient consultation time with healthcare providers (HCPs) is a primary driver, hindering the ability to address patients' informational and emotional needs.
• Current clinical routines, burdened by administrative tasks, limit opportunities for relational consultation and shared decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the risks posed by fragmented online health information to the patient-clinician relationship in oncology.
• To identify the impact of time constraints and administrative burdens on HCPs' ability to support cancer patients' needs.
• To propose practical, evidence-informed strategies for clinicians to enhance patient-provider relationships and shared decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of the challenges in current patient-clinician interactions in oncology.
• Review of existing literature on health communication, shared decision-making, and patient support strategies.
• Development of actionable recommendations for clinicians based on evidence-informed practices.

Main Results:

• Inadequate time for consultation undermines patient trust and can lead to suboptimal treatment choices or reliance on unproven online information.
• Policy reforms are needed to reduce administrative burdens, but immediate clinician-level strategies are crucial.
• Proposed strategies aim to meet patients' informational and emotional needs, strengthening relationships and aligning decisions with evidence and preferences.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the time deficit and administrative burden is critical to preserving the patient-clinician relationship in cancer care.
• Clinicians can implement practical strategies to improve patient support, shared decision-making, and adherence to evidence-based treatments.
• Strengthening the patient-HCP relationship is essential for ensuring cancer patients receive appropriate, personalized, and evidence-supported care.