Patient-hematologist discordance in perceived chance of cure in hematologic malignancies: A multicenter study.

BackgroundEnsuring that patients with hematologic malignancies have an accurate understanding of their likelihood of cure is important for informed decision making. In a multicenter, longitudinal study, the authors examined discordance in patients' perception of their chance of cure versus that of their hematologists, whether patient-hematologist discordance changed after a consultation with a hematologist, and factors associated with persistent discordance.MethodsBefore and after consultation with a hematologist, patients were asked about their perceived chance of cure (options were ResultsA total of 209 patients and 46 hematologists from 4 sites were included in the current study. Before consultation, approximately 61% of dyads were discordant, which improved to 50% after consultation (P ConclusionsPatient-hematologist concordance in prognostic understanding appears to improve after a hematology consultation, but approximately one-half of patients' views of their prognoses were found to remain discordant with those of their hematologists. Interventions are needed to improve prognostic understanding among patients with hematologic malignancies.