Cancer patients’ level of knowledge about diseases and their expectations from their oncologists [Kanser hastalarının hastalıkları ile İlgili bilgi düzeyleri ve onkologlarından beklentileri]

AIM: Cancer is the second most common cause of death in our country like it is in the rest of the world. The purpose of this study is to determine the expectations of cancer patients from the oncologists who undertake their treatment process and the behavior manners that oncologists should use in the relationships they will establish with their patients. METHODS: Patients from 5 different cancer treatment centers in different regions of our country were included in this study. A survey, prepared by researchers, consisting of questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of patients, their behaviors when they were faced with the disease and their expectations from doctors, was made. RESULTS: A total of 220 patients, 103 (47.2%) of whom were female, 117 of whom (52.8%) were male, was included in the study. Fifty-one point eight percent of the patients had a little bit of knowledge about their disease, whereas the ratio of the ones with satisfactory information was 39%. Seventy-two point five percent of the patients indicated they wanted to know their diseases completely, 25.7% of them noted that the physician should have decide on how much information they should know and 1.8% of them told that the disease should not be explained at all. CONCLUSIONS: A good patient-physician relation improves the patient satisfaction and accordingly the adaptation to the treatment. As a result, improving patient orientation will contribute to better treatment results and lower treatment costs. © 2014 Gulhane Military Medical Academy. All rights reserved.