Table 3.
Information seeking and communication recommendations
| |
Times Reported |
|---|---|
| n (%) | |
| Reasons for not seeking more information from the clinician (n = 85) | |
| Satisfaction with the information previously provided | 24 (28) |
| There were other/more important problems to worry about | 13 (15) |
| My clinician did not inform me about my nodule diagnosis | 12 (14) |
| My clinician didn’t seem worried about it so I wasn’t | 11 (13) |
| I had a visit scheduled with my clinician already | 10 (12) |
| I didn’t think about seeking more information | 7 (8) |
| I wasn’t worried or concerned about the diagnosis | 6 (7) |
| I thought my clinician would call | 5 (6) |
| I assumed my clinician was too busy to answer my questions | 4 (5) |
| I don’t know how to contact my clinician | 3 (4) |
| I have had previous experience with my clinician not calling me back | 3 (4) |
| I was scared of the possible answer | 1 (1) |
| Other responses | 15 (18) |
| Recommendations for improving communication processes (n = 121) | |
| More information about how common nodules are | 112 (93) |
| More information about what a nodule is | 108 (89) |
| More discussion regarding patients’ worries and fears | 90 (74) |
| More information about the risk of lung cancer | 85 (70) |
| Tell the patient in person about their nodule diagnosis | 85 (70) |
| Decrease the time interval from imaging study to information about results | 78 (66) |
| More patient involvement in determining the follow-up interval | 72 (60) |
| More information about the risks of radiation from planned computed tomography scans | 67 (55) |
| More information about everything, in letter or phone call (including: how to contact clinician, explanation of follow-up plan, other resources, etc.) | 17 (14) |
| Ensure clinician is being honest and giving facts | 11 (9) |
| More interaction with the clinician regarding nodule | 11 (9) |
| Show pictures of scan and explain image | 6 (5) |
| Other responses | 17 (14) |