Effective physician-patient relationship at the time of receiving breast cancer diagnosis: a qualitative content analysis of patients' preferences

Background: Physician–patient communication is a fundamental aspect of cancer care especially when the bad news is broken out for the patient. Because of the rising trend of breast cancer incidence in Iran and the important effects of physician communication style at the time of diagnosis on patients' quantity and quality of life more studies in this area can improve physician–patient communication and also help develop local training protocols.

Methods: 32 women with breast cancer who were supported by Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, met the inclusion criteria and participated in this qualitative study using purposeful sampling method and an open-ended questionnaire of ‘heartfelt writings’.  Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis by Lundman and Graneheim methods.

Results: The findings indicated two themes of "creating hope" and "building trust" as the preferences of patients receiving the news of breast cancer diagnosis from their physicians.

Conclusion: Hope and confidence are preferences of women with breast cancer at the time of disclosing diagnosis. Due to the role of physician's communication skills in creating two mentioned components, conducting training courses for them is recommended.