Ask Questions (ASQ):Implementation of a Communication Intervention

Ask Questions (ASQ): Implementation of a Communication Intervention to Improve Patient-Oncologist Communication in the Outpatient Medical Oncology Setting

This clinical trial implements a communication intervention to improve patient-oncologist communication in the outpatient medical oncology setting. A communication brochure called the ASQ brochure may help patients prepare for the doctor visit by thinking through the questions that patients and patients' family want to ask the doctor.

Patient-centered communication is critical to providing high-quality care. In patient-provider clinical interactions, providers are responsible for several aspects of patient-centered communication. However, to reach the goal of providing the best possible treatments, patients should also actively participate by asking questions and expressing their concerns. Question prompt lists, simple lists of questions provided to patients before clinic visits to help them prepare for the appointment, have been tested in several medical contexts and patient populations, including among an underserved, minority population in Detroit, and have been shown to contribute to improved outcomes related to better communication quality. Using a RE-AIM framework, this descriptive, mixed methods, single-arm intervention study assesses the implementation of an evidence-based communication intervention (question prompt list), the "ASQ brochure". The ASQ brochure is designed to improve patient-oncologist communication and other outcomes by improving patient self-efficacy for managing patient-physician interactions. Investigators will recruit 225 patients and implement the ASQ brochure at seven Karmanos Cancer Center network sites. Participants are newly diagnosed patients with (Stages I-IV) cancer for which systemic therapy is likely a recommended treatment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults 18 years of age or older
• Have a first appointment to see a medical oncologist at a Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCC) site for medical/systemic treatment for a new, confirmed diagnosis of stages I-IV cancer
• Speak and read English well enough to be able to understand consent documents
• Given the diverse population seen at KCI, we will make attempts to recruit a representative sample. Our strategy will be simply to ask recruiters to make special attempts to recruit a representative sample. If that strategy fails after the first 10 patients we will build in requirements that at least 25% of the patients self-identify as non-White

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not specified