- 1. Your Nomination - Please briefly describe in your own words the question about a health care test or treatment that interests or concerns you:
How to improve the flow of information to patient with benign biopsy pathology report for breast mass. I believe this highly impacts patient anxiety, and probably also adherence to further follow up recommendations. Based on my recent experience as a patient at a comprehensive breast care center, there is no standard protocol for giving the patient information, and no one knows who is going to tell what to whom.
- 2. Why do you think your question is important? (you may select more than one category if appropriate)
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My question relates to a very common disease or problem
People with this disease or problem have considerable health or financial hardships
There is uncertainty about how well the test, treatment, or intervention works
There is significant potential for side effects/harms using this test, treatment, or intervention
Funding of this test, treatment, or intervention is uncertain or variable
There is unequal access or application of this health care intervention across providers
There is potential for cost savings from better information on this subject
This is a new technology/development
There is new evidence of clinical and/or cost effectiveness for this test, treatment, or intervention
Other
- 3. What illness or health condition is related to your question? (You can also specify a particular health-promoting activity, such as breast-feeding)
- Benign biopsy findings in breast care setting
- 4. What group(s) or patients does your question apply to?
- All women whose breast biopsy reports are benign.
- 5. What is the specific purpose of the health care test or treatment you have a question about? (mark all that you think apply)
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Identification of a disease or condition:
Screening or diagnosis/identification for a particular disease, or risk assessment for a disease
Risks or harms that can come from a disease identification tool or test
Diagnostic tests and tools
Diagnosis of co-occurring diseases
Intervention (such as a drug treatment, therapy, device)
Management of a condition or particular system of care
Delivery of a health service
Referral
Risks or harms associated with treatment of a disease or condition
Prevention or health promotion
Specific population health concerns, such as ethnic group or gender
Other
Dont know
- 6. Does your question include a comparison of different health care approaches?
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Yes
If yes, please list what you would like to see compared:
Current flow of information to benign biopsy patient vs a standardized system/protocol for information, conveyed to patient
- 7. Desired Health Improvements: If you question focuses on:
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Identification of a particular disease or condition, what improvements in identification or diagnosis would you like to see?
Decreased patient suffering and anxiety Increased patient compliance with future screening and care Decrease in expensive patient questions Decrease loss of patients from system due to long delays, patient anxiety, loose and casual information procedures Improved future diagnosis, better present diagnosis by engaging patient rationally in her treatment
Treatment of a particular disease or condition, what improvements in patient symptoms or problems would you like to see? Considerably decreased anxiety Improved patient compliance with present diagnostic procedure and future screening and diagnosis
- 8. Harms: Are there risks, side effects, or harms you are concerned about? If yes, please specify what those are:
- Would some patients (few I believe) prefer to be in a state of ignorance and ambiguity, as in "ignorance is bliss."
- 9. Based on your answers to the previous questions, what research question(s) would you like to have answered?
- Outcome variables: Patient anxiety Patient compliance Costs to system of implementing information system Costs to system of of patient inquiries that could be easily forestalled if no standard Understanding by patients about their procedure, reports, and when and how the flow of information to them will take place Intervention: Standardized information to patients flow protocols vs doing it informally, without informing patient formally about aftermath information flow
- 10. Are there health-care focused, disease-focused, or patient-focused organizations that you see as being relevant to this issue? Who do you think we should contact as we consider your nomination?
- Breast Clinics Breast cancer research organizations
- 11. Other Information About You (OPTIONAL) In order to help us understand the context of your health care question, it would be helpful to know more about you. The answers you give will not influence the progress of your suggestion. Thank you.
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a. Please choose a description that best describes your role or perspective: (you may select more than one category if appropriate)
Other Health Care Professional|Patient/consumer (individual)
b. Is there any other information about you that is relevant to your question?
Skilled PhD researcher, breast biopsy patient; & psychologist
c. Are you making a suggestion as an individual or on behalf of an organization?
Individual
Organization
