Patient's Cognition toward the Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis

In Hee Chun; Kyungsook Park

doi:10.5388/aon.2013.13.2.59

Journal List > Asian Oncol Nurs > v.13(2) > 1081794

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Chun and Park: Patient's Cognition toward the Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis

Original Article

Asian Oncology Nursing 2013; 13(2): 59-66.

Published online: 30 June 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5388/aon.2013.13.2.59

Patient's Cognition toward the Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis

In Hee Chun¹, Kyungsook Park²

¹Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

²Redcross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Park, Kyungsook. Redcross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-765, Korea. Tel: +82-2-820-5676, Fax: +82-2-824-7961, kspark@cau.ac.kr

Received 19 January 2013 Accepted 20 June 2013

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the actual condition and the general cognition toward the disclosure of diagnosis among cancer patients.

Methods

A survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted with 195 cancer patient from October 18, 2011 to November 19. The data was analyzed with SPSS (version 18.0) for frequency analysis and χ² test.

Results

88.2% of cancer patients were agreed to the disclosure of cancer diagnosis. Cancer patients had preferences for a doctor to notify the disclosure of their cancer diagnosis (90.8%) and immediate notification of the cancer diagnosis (89.7%). The sequences of disclosing cancer diagnosis were following; the patient and the care-giver notified at the same time (47.2%). the patient notified first (32.3%) and the care-giver notified first (20.5%). Cognition toward disclosure of cancer diagnosis was statistically significant only with age (p=.003).

Conclusion

These result suggested that cancer patient wanted to notify their cancer diagnosis by doctor, as soon as cancer diagnosis confirmed, before notifying to their family, and to know accurate cancer related information. Therefore, principals and guidelines in disclosing cancer diagnosis are essential to increase the quality of cancer patient care.

Keywords: Neoplasms, Diagnosis, Disclosure, Cognition

Figures and Tables

Table 1

General Characteristics of Participants (N=195)

Table 2

Method of Cancer Diagnosis Disclosure (N=195)

Table 3

General Characteristics on Awareness of Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis (N=195)

^*The variables have a missing value.

Table 4

Status of Cancer Diagnosis Disclosure (N=195)

Table 5

Difference between the Cognition and Actual Status (N=195)

^*Fisher's exact test.

Tx=treatment; Dx=diagnosis.

Notes

This article is a condensed form of the first author's master's thesis from Chung-Ang university.

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