Patients satisfaction with outpatient oncology consultations using the distress thermometer: comparison of two cohorts (2007 and 2012)

Method and Materials -Eight consultants took part in this study; 40 patients for each, above the age of 16 from each consultant; 20 without-DT (Control) and 20 with-DT, (Fig.1), (Experimental) -The 2007 cohort and the 2012 cohort had 120 and 219 patients respectively. DT was given pre-consultation. In both conditions MISS-21 was used to gain feedback post-consultation. -Data from both cohorts was analysed to compare satisfaction levels and effect. -All data were anaylsed with SPSS 19.0 Discussion MISS-21 scores for communication on all subscales were significantly higher for data collected in 2012 than in data collected in 2007. -Training in communication skills and awareness of this as an important part of the patient care might have substantially increased in the 4-6 year gap between the initial and later studies, and there may be a ceiling effect within the scores had increased in the later cohort. -The all-round higher MISS-21 scores in 2012 compared with those in 2007 may explain why the DT appeared to have no effect on 4/5 subscales, as communication without the tool may already have been at a higher level than it was in 2007. -Interestingly, in one category, Communication Comfort, scores significantly decreased in the second cohort when the DT was used, though this was a small effect.