Patient:innenzentrierte Kommunikation in Aufklärungsgesprächen – Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätze

For patient-centered care in oncology, informed consent conversations are of crucial importance. The complexity of the conveyed information and various influencing factors such as the patient’s decision-making capacity and health literacy can lead to communicative challenges. Successful patient-centered communication requires not only general communication skills but also specific techniques for conveying information about diagnosis and treatment. The quality of communication plays a decisive role in the satisfaction and wellbeing of patients.

This work aimed to assess the influence of communicative challenges to the oncological informed consent discussion on decision-making, adherence, and self-management of patients.

This article is based on a selective literature review.

The decision-making capacity of patients, especially those with cognitive impairments, should be assessed regularly. Further, the health literacy of patients plays a crucial role in understanding, evaluating, and applying medical information, which in turn influences decision-making. Empowering patients, i.e., strengthening their active management of the disease, can promote self-management, leading to active participation in the course of treatment.

Interprofessional training and measures to improve individual and organizational health literacy can significantly enhance communication between healthcare providers and patients. Targeted promotion of patient-centered approaches, especially in oncological patient education, is necessary to improve the quality of communication and, consequently, enhance the satisfaction and wellbeing of patients.