Communication Issues in Patient and Provider Discussions of Immunotherapy

Communication Issues in Patient/Provider Discussions of Immunotherapy

This trials studies communication issues in patient and provider discussions about immunotherapy. The goal of this study is to describe where patients have heard about immunotherapy, what the participants understand about it, how physicians and other healthcare workers describe immunotherapy, and how educational videos may support patient knowledge about immunotherapy.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To identify misestimations about the risks and benefits of immunotherapy resulting from media hype or other sources and assess if these misestimations persist post-provider conversation about immunotherapy.

II. To qualitatively describe patient reported misunderstandings and to assess patient understanding of technical terms and metaphors used in the immunotherapy conversation.

III. To identify provider and patient preferences for information to be communicated about immunotherapy.

IV. Develop videos that describe immunotherapy and test their efficacy in improving understanding using pre and post methodology.

OUTLINE:

Patients and their providers undergo observation during a conversation about immunotherapy. Then participate in an interview over 20 minutes. Understanding of educational videos is then tested.

Inclusion Criteria:

• AIMS 1-3: All patients and providers who may have a discussion about immunotherapy at the Winship Cancer Institute
• AIM 4: Any cancer patient