Abstract
Objective. To evaluate the impact of a structured assessment of patient information needs on information provided by physicians and satisfaction with clinical encounters. Methods. A clinical trial that randomized attending physicians (n = 11) and their English‐speaking, adult patients (n = 282) scheduled for return visits at a university hospital‐based ambulatory cancer clinic. Study patients completed a pre‐visit “needs assessment” questionnaire that inquired about the importance of discussing certain issues with the physician at that visit. The issues discussed at these visits were compared with issues discussed with control patients who had not filled out the questionnaire. Results. The intervention patients most commonly desired information about: tests (69%), treatments (61%), future developments (57%), and symptom relief (47%). Among intervention patients, there was only fair concordance between information wanted and information received. Intervention patients were no more likely than control patients to receive information in any of the areas assessed. Satisfaction with the encounter and patient evaluations of physician participatory decision‐making styles were comparable in the two groups. The patients in the control group were slightly more satisfied with the amount of time spent with the physician (p = 0.03) and the physician's explanation of what was done (p = 0.02). Conclusions. Among ambulatory cancer patients, a pre‐visit “needs assessment” questionnaire increased neither the amount of information provided to patients nor their satisfaction with the encounter.