Patient Satisfaction, Communication Improve with Geriatric Assessment

Evaluating health-related concerns as part of routine care for elderly patients with advanced cancer significantly improved doctor-patient communication, and patient satisfaction, according to results of a trial recently discussed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Overall, the mean number of patient-oncologist discussions was 6.3. Patients whose physicians conducted geriatric assessment had a mean of 3.5 more discussions about age-related concerns than patients whose physicians did not (7.74 vs 4.24; 95% CI, 2.28-4.72,

<.0001).

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In the geriatric assessment group, patient satisfaction with communication was a statistically significant 1.12 points higher than in the control group (95% CI, 0.23-2.03;

= .027). Lead author Supriya Gupta Mohile, MD, MS, the Wehrheim Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester, said the differences in satisfaction scores persisted for up to 3 months.

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“A web-based geriatric assessment summary with recommendations for interventions improved patient-centered outcomes, including direct communication about age-related health concerns and patient satisfaction with communication,” she said.

Adults aged ≥70 years represent the fastest growing patient population in cancer. These patients often want treatment, Mohile said, but only if it does not have a negative effect on other health issues.

Read more about this trial atOncLive.com.