Deciding what information is necessary: do patients with advanced cancer want to know all the details?

Figures & data

Table 1 Factors that may contribute to doctor–patient disparity in understanding of prognosis

Physician factors

Patient factors

Reluctance to disclose prognosis Low confidence in ability to prognosticate accurately Low confidence in ability to discuss prognosis Insufficient time Fear of destroying hope Fear of provoking emotional distress Fear of being blamed Fear of confronting own emotions Fear of confronting death Feelings of inadequacy Burnout and compassion fatigue Cultural expectations Overestimation of patient understanding

Ambiguous attitude to knowing prognosis Denial Distress Preferring to entrust details to experts Fear of causing offense by questioning Fear of wasting the physician’s time Fear of losing hope Cultural expectations Difficulty understanding terminology or certain information formats