Information, support, and decision-making needs and preferences of adolescents with cancer : Implications for health professionals

This articlc presents findings from an exploratory study of treatment experiences and preferences of a group of 51 Auslralian young people with cancer (27 males and 24 females aged 12-24 years). The objective of the study was to identify their information, support, and decision-making needs and preferences to inform health professionals and thereby improve patients' treatment experiences. A 42-item self-administered questionnaire, including open- and closed-ended items, was developed to collect current and retrospective data. Responses to open-ended items were content-analyzed. The young people wished to be more informed and involved in treatment decisions. Almost all of them (49) wanted to be informed about "bad news," such as treatment is ineffective, prognosis is poor, death is imminent. Their preferences for involvement with health professionals, family, and peers in different contexts are reported. The qualities of health professionals that facilitated communication, according to the young people, we...