Professional communications in cancer care: a Delphi survey of hospital nurses

Although good communications are generally agreed to be an essential component of effective nursing care of cancer patients, little research has been done on nurses' perception of communication problems, and less on their suggestions for resolving them. A Delphi-type survey among nurses in the North of England revealed that the main areas of comment were: dealing with patients' questions and fears; the communication implications of pain control; and relationships with other professional groups both inside and outside the hospitals. Numerous suggestions were made for improving communications.