Photo Credit: Mohammed Elamine
The following is a summary of “So, what are you saying?”: A qualitative study of surgeon-patient communication in the rectal cancer consultations,” published in the February 2025 issue of Surgery by Fritz et al.
People with rectal cancer face tough treatment choices that can come with significant symptoms. Decisions often involve trade-offs and guidance from a team, making shared decision-making an important part of care.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring how surgeons and people with rectal cancer communicate during decision-making.
They conducted a secondary analysis of audio recordings from 18 people with rectal cancer and 8 colorectal surgeons across 5 academic centers. Also, coders used inductive content analysis to focus on communication about decision-making during clinic visits.
The results showed that surgeons shared technical details about treatments, while people with rectal cancer asked about prognosis, recovery, functional changes, and next steps. Shared decision-making was initiated, but patient goal often remained unclear. Decisions were frequently postponed due to uncertainty or missing critical information for determining the best treatment options.
Investigators concluded that surgeons could improve rectal cancer decision-making by addressing uncertainty, offering clear information on prognosis, tradeoffs, and recovery, and ensuring patient preferences are understood to support better communication and shared decision-making.
Source: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(24)00667-6/abstract
