The Importance of Effective Physician Communication on Treatment Outcomes of African American Breast Cancer Patients in Los Angeles, CA

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of African American breast cancer survivors regarding the role that doctor communication styles had on their current health conditions and treatment outcomes. This study attempted to explore the ways in which effective physician-patient communication can be associated to better treatment outcomes, especially among African American women. Past research in this area has reported high mortality rates among African American breast cancer patients above most other ethnic groups even while being diagnosed at similar rates to others. We conducted a one hour focus group with 18 African American breast cancer survivors between the ages of 40-70 years who are members of the Breast Cancer Survivors Network located in Los Angeles, CA. Participants were recruited through personal contacts with the support group leadership. Focus group participants were asked a series of questions aimed at eliciting information on the following specific themes: patient adherence, patient satisfaction, and patient trust with the physician. Discussions indicated that the focus group participants reflected general themes that have been reported in recent literature in the area, mainly the importance that good doctor patient communication has on adherence to medication, treatment conditions, as well as on prognosis outlook, as well as ethnic specific themes. Findings from this study can assist prevention scientists in understanding best communications styles to use with typical hard to reach study populations such as African American females whom are severely underrepresented in medical and health behavior research.