| Abstract: |
Purpose: It is unclear whether Maltese cancer patients wish to know their diagnosis or to what extent they want to be informed. The aim was to assess patients’ preferences for receiving a cancer diagnosis and being involved in the decision-making process, and then compare this with results from similar international studies. Methods: A total of 252 patients were invited to complete two standardised tools: a Measure of Patients’ Perspective (MPP), assessing patients’ preferences for receiving news about their cancer, and a Control Preferences Scale (CPS), examining involvement in decision-making. Results: Patients rated ‘content’ (information given; mean 4.17, standard deviation: SD 0.59) as more important (p < 0.001) than ‘support’ (offering comfort/support; mean 3.73, SD 0.68) and ‘facilitation’ (how information is given; mean 3.86, SD 0.68). Patients with higher levels of education had higher scores for ‘content’ (p = 0.018) and ‘facilitation’ (p < 0.001) on MPP, while lower education levels preferred a passive role (p = 0.01) on CPS. Although there is a trend towards a collaborative and even active role in treatment decisions, patients still exhibit a submissive attitude towards their physician. Conclusions: Maltese cancer patients want to be informed of their cancer diagnosis, its treatment and prognosis, similarly to other international studies. However, 60% prefer to leave medical decisions in their physician’s hands when compared to other studies. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. |
