TABLE III.
Disclosure of information about cancer and related variables by participant type
| Variable | Participant group [n (%)] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
| Physicians | Nurses | Patients | Family and friends | Total | p Valuea | |
| Disclosure preference | 0.121 | |||||
| Yes | 38 (82.6) | 84 (87.5) | 79 (87.8) | 82 (76.6) | 283 (83.5) | |
| No/do not know | 8 (17.4) | 12 (12.5) | 11 (12.2) | 25 (23.4) | 56 (16.5) | |
| Reasons for disclosing | 0.003 | |||||
| Better organize remaining life | 28 (73.7) | 52 (57.1) | 34 (44.2) | 35 (42.7) | 149 (51.7) | |
| Help the course of treatment | 9 (23.7) | 27 (29.7) | 15 (19.5) | 24 (29.3) | 75 (26.0) | |
| Improve family relationships | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (5.2) | 2 (2.4) | 6 (2.1) | |
| Avoid living an illusion | 1 (2.6) | 11 (12.1) | 20 (26.0) | 16 (19.5) | 48 (16.7) | |
| Take several medical opinions | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.1) | 4 (5.2) | 5 (6.1) | 10 (3.5) | |
| Reasons for not disclosing | 0.060 | |||||
| Negative effect of knowing the truth | 4 (66.7) | 7 (53.9) | 3 (42.9) | 14 (73.7) | 28 (62.2) | |
| Avoid changing everyday life | 2 (33.35) | 5 (38.5) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (10.5) | 9 (20.0) | |
| Avoid pity from others | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (28.6) | 3 (15.8) | 5 (11.1) | |
| No treatment or healing is available | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.7) | 2 (28.6) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (6.7) | |
| Detailed information about the disease given | 0.006 | |||||
| Yes | 3 (6.5) | 10 (10.0) | 4 (4.6) | 21 (19.8) | 38 (11.2) | |
| No | 43 (93.5) | 90 (90.0) | 84 (95.5) | 85 (80.2) | 302 (88.8) | |
| Hardest for the patient to confront | 0.174 | |||||
| Pain | 15 (32.6) | 34 (34.0) | 28 (31.5) | 19 (18.1) | 96 (28.2) | |
| Fear | 29 (63.0) | 61 (61.0) | 53 (59.6) | 71 (67.6) | 214 (62.9) | |
| Pity of others | 2 (4.3) | 4 (4.0) | 7 (7.9) | 13 (12.4) | 26 (7.6) | |
| Other (death) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (1.1) | 2 (1.9) | 4 (1.2) | |
| Estimation of patients aware of their diagnosis | 0.001 | |||||
| Fewer than 50 | 18 (39.1) | 71 (71.7) | 49 (56.3) | 71 (66.4) | 209 (61.7) | |
| More than 50 | 28 (60.9) | 28 (28.3) | 38 (43.7) | 36 (33.6) | 130 (38.3) | |
a
Values in boldface type are significant at the 5% level.