Abstract 3220: Patient communication efficacy, information seeking, and treatment regret among early-stage prostate cancer survivors
Authors: Ross Levi , Young Jordan S. , Lockhart Jala , Lee Torhonda , Bowers Ashley , Shabab Guleer , Preston Michael A. 
Published: June 2022

Background: Most men with prostate cancer lack sufficient knowledge of their illness at the time they are diagnosed to make informed decisions about treatment. The ways patients interact with physicians can influence the quality of treatment-related information that is received and impact emotional well-being. Regret is a common negative affect that patients, providers, and care givers seek to avoid. This study investigated the relationship between patient communication efficacy, treatment information seeking behaviors, and decision regret within a sample of early-stage prostate cancer survivors.

Methods: Sixty-three men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer (Stage T1 or T2) completed self-administered questionnaires. Men who were actively monitoring or undergoing definitive treatment were eligible for inclusion. The 67-item data collection tool captured patient demographics, cancer treatment information seeking behaviors, and psychosocial characteristics. Communication efficacy was measured using the validated Perceived Efficacy Patient Physicians Interaction (PEPPI-10, α=.94) scale. Decision regret was assessed using a validated 5-item measure (Brehaut et al., 2003). Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 25.

Results: A majority of participants were White (58.7%), married/partnered (79.4%), privately insured (54.2%) and graduated college (75.0%). More than two-thirds (77.8%) wanted to assume an active role during treatment decision-making. Most respondents (58.1%) fell within the high efficacy communication group (+/- 1/2 s.d. of the mean). A majority of men did not regret their initial treatment choice (82.5%). Men who regretted their initial treatment choice reported significantly more unmet treatment information needs (Mean= 5.63) than those who did not regret (Mean= 2.78) their treatment decision [t(60) = 2.084, p = .041]. Independent samples t-test results showed a statistically significant relationship between regret and communication efficacy [t(60) = -2.38, p =.021]. The two situations where men who regretted their decisions reported lower levels of communication efficacy were getting doctors to pay attention to what they have to say [t(60) = -3.39, p = .001] and making the most of their visit with the doctor [t(60) = -2.22, p = .030]. Perceived communication efficacy marginally differentiated men who regretted and did not regret their treatment decisions in two more clinical situations [t(60) = -1.92, p = .060; t(60) = -1.97, p = .054].

Conclusion: Communication efficacy appears to impact patient treatment information seeking behaviors and decision regret. Communication interventions need to be developed to increase early stage prostate cancer patients’ level of confidence when seeking treatment information to enhance their emotional well-being and quality of life.

Citation Format: Levi Ross, Jordan S. Young, Jala Lockhart, Torhonda Lee, Ashley Bowers, Guleer Shabab, Michael A. Preston. Patient communication efficacy, information seeking, and treatment regret among early-stage prostate cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3220.