Cancer worry and empathy moderate the effect of a survivorship-focused intervention on quality of life. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of a survivorship planning consultation (SPC) for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and diffuses large B-cell lymphoma on quality of life (QOL). We specifically assessed two potential moderators, cancer worry and perceived empathy, of the intervention effects on QOL. METHODS: This cluster randomized, four-site trial examined the efficacy of a SPC; physicians received communication skills training and applied these skills in a survivorship-focused office visit using a care plan vs a control arm in which physicians were trained to and subsequently provided a time-controlled, manualized wellness rehabilitation consultation focused only on discussion of healthy nutrition and exercise. We examined the effect of the intervention on patients' QOL and examined potential moderators-cancer worry and perceived physician empathy. RESULTS: Forty-two physicians and 198 patients participated. There was no main effect of the intervention on any of the QOL dimensions (ps > 0.10). However, cancer worry was a significant moderator of the effects of the intervention on three QOL domains (physical P = .04; social P = .04; spiritual P = .01) and perceived empathy was a significant moderator of QOL (physical P = .004; psychological P = .04; social P = .01). Specifically, the beneficial effects of the intervention were more pronounced among patients who initially reported higher levels of cancer worry and lower levels of physician empathy. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified two factors, perceived empathy and cancer worry, that were found to impact the QOL of patients who participated in this communication-based survivorship intervention.

publication date

  • March 11, 2020

Research

keywords

  • Neoplasms
  • Patient Education as Topic
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Quality of Life
  • Survivorship

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC8327217

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85081906161

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/pon.5371

PubMed ID

  • 32128909

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 29

issue

  • 6