The Experience of Spanish Cancer Patients and Professionals With Quality of Life Assessment in Clinical Practice.

Abstract

This study evaluates the perspectives of Spanish patients with cancer and professionals on using graphic charts for clinical practice. One hundred patients with breast or lung cancer completed EORTC QLQ-C30 and specific questionnaires for both tumor locations. Personalized bar charts with Quality of Life areas and comparisons with reference values from previous studies at our institution were presented during medical consultations. Five oncologists were also interviewed. Eighty-eight patients agreed or strongly agreed that results were in line with expectations, while 22 reported having some or much difficulty in understanding the graphs. Patients' results were related to age, education level, tumor site, and treatment stage. All oncologists believed the graphs could improve communication with patients. However, they suggested they may increase their workload and identified lack of time as the main handicap to their implementation in practice. Nevertheless, all reported that they would discuss the graphs with their patients. In conclusion, the perspectives of Spanish patients and professionals on using graphic charts were positive. This supports including QOL assessment in daily clinical practice in our context.