Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Many people find it difficult to remember information provided during medical consultations. One way of improving this may be to provide a record of the conversation. This review examined the effects of providing recordings or summaries of their consultations to people with cancer and their families.

SEARCH STRATEGY:

The following sources were searched: Cochrane Library (to issue 1 of 1999); and MEDLINE; CINAHL; Sociofile; Cancerlit; Dissertation Abstracts; EMBASE; IAC Health & Wellness; JICST; Pascal; ERIC; ASSIA; PsycINFO; Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts; Mental Health Abstracts; AMED; CAB Health; DHSS-Data; MANTIS (to mid 1998).

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Randomised and non-randomised controlled trials that evaluate the effects of providing recordings (e.g. audiotapes) or summaries (e.g. letter with reminders of key points) of consultations to people with cancer or their families. Two reviewers assessed studies for inclusion.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:

Data were extracted by one reviewer and checked by another reviewer. The quality of studies was assessed on six criteria.

MAIN RESULTS:

Eight studies satisfied the selection criteria. All involved adult participants. The studies did not all measure similar outcomes. In seven studies, between 83% and 96% of participants found recordings or summaries of their consultations valuable. Four out of six studies reported better recall of information for those receiving recordings or summaries. Two out of four studies found that participants provided with a recording or summary were more satisfied with the information received. No studies (out of six) found any statistically significant effect on anxiety or depression. No study evaluated the effects on survival or quality of life.

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS:

The provision of recordings or summaries of key consultations may benefit most adults with cancer. Although more research is needed to improve our understanding of these interventions, most patients find them very useful. Practitioners should consider offering people tape recordings or written summaries of their consultations.