JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Newly diagnosed cancer patients have different needs than cancer survivors, which urges the consideration of their special requirements to ensure they are making well-informed decisions and accepting the care offered.

Objective:

This study suggests a framework entitled Effectiveness of Patient-Centered Cancer Care (E-PACCC) that considers the needs of newly diagnosed cancer patients and related work system factors. The study explores the impact of work system factors on new cancer patients’ perceptions of patient-centered care, quality of care, and related outcomes.

Methods:

The study used qualitative data collected through interviews with newly diagnosed cancer patients (N=20) right after the first visits with their doctors. Thematic analysis was conducted to validate the five hypotheses of the framework mapping the interactions between quality of care, patient-centered care, and work system factors.

Results:

We found that workload and patient-centered communication impact the quality of care and that the work system elements impact the patient-centeredness (workload and communication) and the quality of care (trust in doctors, satisfaction with care, and perception of technology use).

Conclusions:

To improve patients’ experiences in the first visits after diagnosis, more interest needs to be given to the design of the organization, the processes that the patients have to go through, and the collaboration between the different actors and providers.