Different Attitudes Of Patients, Families, Oncology Clinicians, And Oncology Nurses Toward Truth Telling Of Cancer Diagnosis

Background and Objectives It is always a problem for oncology clinicians that whether and how to disclose the cancer diagnosis to patient. The purpose of this study is to investigate different attitudes of patients, families, oncology clinicians, and oncology nurses toward whether and how to disclose cancer diagnosis to patients with different stages of cancer.Methods Questionnaires investigating demographic information and attitude toward truth telling were delivered to patients, families, oncology clinicians, and oncology nurses. SPSS statistic software (Version 13.0) was used for data analysis.Results 1295 participants completed the questionnaires. 1049 (81.0%) of the participants reported that patient with early-stage cancer should be informed of the diagnosis, while only 579 (44.7%) believed that patient with terminal illness should know the truth (P < 0.001). Cancer patients were more likely than families to believe that patient should be informed of the diagnosis...