Impact of patient health literacy on surgical treatment of breast cancer

Physicians Are Unable to Consistently Predict Patient Health Literacy in a Breast Clinic

INTRODUCTION

Health literacy (HL) is a patient's capacity to understand health information. Low HL is associated with worse cancer outcomes and adherence to treatment regimens. This study aimed to test physicians' ability to predict their patients' HL after an initial consultation to determine if routine HL screening is valuable.

METHODS

From February 2023 through June 2023, patients seen at an academic breast clinic completed a validated, self-reported HL assessment. Surgical and medical oncologists estimated their patients' HL by answering the same HL questionnaire based on their perception of the patient visit. Patient and physician scores were compared using an intraclass correlation coefficient. Linear regression was used to evaluate associations between physicians' ability to predict HL and other variables.

RESULTS

The cohort included 210 patient HL scores with corresponding physician scores for each. Most patients (75.7%) had adequate HL. There was moderate agreement between the patient and physician HL scores (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.677, P < 0.01), meaning physicians could somewhat predict their patient's HL. Physicians were worse at predicting HL when patients had low HL. There was no difference in physicians' ability to predict HL based on patient age (P = 0.09) or race (P = 0.29). Additionally, we found no difference in the ability to predict HL based on the physician's specialty (P = 0.25).

CONCLUSIONS

After an initial consultation, physicians cannot accurately predict patient HL, particularly in patients with lower HL. Given the impact of low HL on a patient's ability to make treatment decisions and adhere to treatment plans, using a validated tool to measure HL is necessary.

Overtreatment and Undertreatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer in Older Women: Evaluating the POWER Trial

INTRODUCTION

Radiation therapy (RT) omission is acceptable in older women with early-stage estrogen receptor + breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET). However, RT rates in this population remain high, causing concern for overtreatment. Conversely, patients who omit RT and do not complete a course of AET are at risk of undertreatment. In the Pre-Operative Window of Endocrine Therapy to Inform Radiation Therapy Decisions (POWER) trial, participants receive 90 days of preoperative endocrine therapy to assess tolerance before deciding about RT. This study aimed to determine the rates of undertreatment and overtreatment institutionally and among POWER trial participants.

METHODS

Data were retrospectively collected from medical records of women aged ≥ 65 years diagnosed with invasive, estrogen receptor +/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2- breast cancer, ≤ 3 cm, who had BCS between 2012 and 2022. Patients were categorized as undertreated (BCS alone), overtreated (BCS + RT + AET), or appropriately treated (BCS + RT or BCS + AET).

RESULTS

The cohort included 478 patients, of whom 62 (12.97%) were undertreated, 202 (42.26%) were overtreated, and 214 (44.77%) were appropriately treated. Appropriately treated patients were more likely to be aged 70-79 years (P < 0.0001) and have high health literacy (P = 0.0003). Of the 37 patients (7.71%) in the POWER trial, more were appropriately treated than patients not in the POWER trial (81.1% versus 44.8%) (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite long-standing guideline changes, RT utilization remains high. This study highlights how a novel patient-centered approach to guide adjuvant therapy decisions may increase the number of appropriately treated patients.

Through the Lens of Patient Partners: Challenges in Accrual of Older Adults to NCI Clinical Trials

The workshop "Engaging Older Adults in Cancer Clinical Trials Conducted in the NCI Clinical Trials Network: Challenges and Opportunities" included a Patient Stakeholder Workgroup that explored the needs and concerns of older adults with cancer regarding clinical trials. To accomplish this, the workgroup conducted patient focus groups in which participants were interviewed, recorded conversations were analyzed and coded, and salient themes were identified. The focus groups identified general barriers to accrual such as complex consent forms, general communication, restrictive eligibility, nonreferrals, patient costs, cultural insensitivity, limited accessibility in community settings, and transportation issues. They also identified the influence of knowledgeable information presenters, improved care, family or caregiver support, and the desire to help others as drivers or reasons to participate in clinical trials. The workshop concluded that multi-level interventions could be used to increase the accrual of older adults to National Cancer Institute clinical trials as well as others.

Breast reconstruction and quality of life five years after cancer diagnosis: VICAN French National cohort

PURPOSE

Women with breast cancer (BC) who have a mastectomy may subsequently undergo breast reconstruction (BR). This study aimed to identify (1) factors associated with having BR, (2) factors associated with immediate BR (IBR) and delayed BR (DBR), and (3) associations between no BR, IBR and DBR and physical and mental quality of life (QoL) 5 years after diagnosis.

METHODS

Analyses were based on data from the national French cancer cohort VICAN, which followed a representative sample of cancer survivors, including BC survivors, for 5 years after diagnosis. BR and BR type (IBR/DBR) were identified using medico-administrative databases. The SF12 scale was used to measure mental and physical QoL. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with BR, and linear models to evaluate associations between BR and BR type with QoL.

RESULTS

Of the 1192 BC survivors in VICAN, 32.6% (n = 388) had a mastectomy. Among them, 60.1% (n = 233) had BR. Of these, 38.6% (n = 90) and 61.4% (n = 143) had IBR and DBR, respectively. Compared with women who had BR, women who did not were more likely to be older and to have a lower level of health literacy. Compared with women who did not have BR, those with IBR had better mental QoL, while those who had either IBR or DBR had better physical QoL.

CONCLUSION

Older women and those with inadequate health literacy were less likely to have BR. This may reflect women's preferences, inequalities in care options offered after a mastectomy, and socioeconomic barriers to accessing BR. These issues need further exploration. Furthermore, BR was associated with a better long-term physical QoL. IBR was associated with better mental QoL and should be promoted when possible.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Surgical Outcomes after Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction

BACKGROUND

Women of color with breast cancer are less likely to undergo post-mastectomy reconstruction compared with White women, but it is unclear whether their perioperative outcomes are worse. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications by race/ethnicity among women with breast cancer undergoing postmastectomy reconstruction.

STUDY DESIGN

Data were collected from the National Inpatient Sample database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from 2012 to 2016. Patient demographics, types of reconstruction, comorbid conditions, Charlson-Deyo Combined Comorbidity (CDCC) scores, length of stay (LOS), and perioperative complications were abstracted. Multivariate linear and logistic regression were performed to model LOS and likelihood of postoperative complications, respectively.

RESULTS

Compared with White women (n = 19,730), Black women (n = 3,201) underwent autologous reconstruction more frequently (40.7% vs 28.3%), had more perioperative comorbidities (eg diabetes: 12.9% vs 5.8%), higher CDCC scores (% CDCC ≥ 4: 5.5% vs 2.7%), and longer LOS (median 3 vs 2 days, all p < 0.001). Being Black (vs White: +0.13 adjusted days, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.19) was also associated with longer LOS and an increased likelihood of surgical complications (vs White: odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.42, both p < 0.01), but this association did not persist when outcomes were limited to microsurgical complications.

CONCLUSION

Disparities in postmastectomy breast reconstruction between Black and White women extend beyond access to care and include perioperative factors and outcomes. These findings suggest an important opportunity to mitigate inequities in reconstruction through perioperative health optimization and improved access to and co-management with primary care.

Surgical Decision-Making Surrounding Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Comparison of Treatment Goals, Preferences, and Psychosocial Outcomes from a Multicenter Survey of Breast Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

Differences in patient characteristics and decision-making preferences have been described between those who elect breast-conserving surgery (BCS), unilateral mastectomy (UM), or contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) for breast cancer. However, it is not known whether preferred and actual decision-making roles differ across these surgery types, or whether surgery choice reflects a woman's goals or achieves desired outcomes.

METHODS

Women diagnosed with stage 0-III unilateral breast cancer across eight large medical centers responded to a mailed questionnaire regarding treatment decision-making goals, roles, and outcomes. These data were linked to electronic medical records. Differences were assessed using descriptive analyses and logistic regression.

RESULTS

There were 750 study participants: 60.1% BCS, 17.9% UM, and 22.0% CPM. On multivariate analysis, reducing worry about recurrence was a more important goal for surgery in the CPM group than the others. Although women's preferred role in the treatment decision did not differ by surgery, the CPM group was more likely to report taking a more-active-than-preferred role than the BCS group. On multivariate analysis that included receipt of additional surgery, posttreatment worry about both ipsilateral and contralateral recurrence was higher in the BCS group than the CPM group (both p < 0.001). The UM group was more worried than the CPM group about contralateral recurrence only (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Women with CPM were more likely to report being able to reduce worry about recurrence as a very important goal for surgery. They were also the least worried about ipsilateral breast recurrence and contralateral breast cancer almost two years postdiagnosis.

Development and evaluation of a sustainable video health education program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in Malaysia

PURPOSE

Wider breast cancer (BC) treatment options, short consultation time with physicians, lack of knowledge, and poor coping skills at the time of diagnosis may affect patients' decisions causing treatment delays and non-adherence. To address this gap, a breast care nurse video orientation program was started. Our aim was to evaluate the video on patients' knowledge, satisfaction, and treatment adherence.

METHODS

The video was developed using the BC delay explanatory model. A self-administered pre- and post-survey on 241 newly diagnosed BC patients in University Malaya Medical Center was performed. The Wilcoxon matched paired signed rank test was used to evaluate patients' pre and post perceived knowledge using a Likert scale 0 to 4 (0 = "no knowledge," 4 = "a great degree of knowledge"). Treatment adherence among participants were measured after 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

Eighty percent of the patients reported that the video met or exceeded their expectations. In total 80.5% reported that the video was very effective and effective in improving their perspective on BC treatments. There was improvement in perceived knowledge for treatment options (mean scores; M = 0.93 versus M = 2.97) (p < 0.001) and also for perceived knowledge on types of operation, information on chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, healthy diet, physical activity after treatments, and care of the arm after operation(p < 0.001). In total 89.4%, 79.3%, and 85.9% adhered to surgical, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy recommended treatment, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The video improved patients' perceived knowledge and satisfaction. The program improved access not only to new BC patients but also the public and found sustainable using the YouTube platform.

Health Literacy in Adult Oncology: An Integrative Review

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Patients with cancer face high expectations for performing health literacy activities necessary for self-management and decision making, but only 12% of adults in the United States are proficient in health literacy. This review explores evidence regarding what is known about functional, interactive, and critical health literacy in adult oncology populations.

LITERATURE SEARCH

The review was conducted by searching extensively in the CINAHL® Plus database.

DATA EVALUATION

Of 614 articles retrieved from the literature search, 22 were included in the final sample. Most were cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational studies.

SYNTHESIS

Health literacy research in the United States focuses primarily on functional health literacy, but studies that include interactive and/or critical health literacy indicate their applicability in adult oncology populations.

IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH

Additional research is needed to clarify the role of health literacy in cancer care to develop effective interventions that facilitate self-management and decision making.

Health Literacy in Surgery

Background:

Low health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes in many chronic diseases and may have an important role in determining surgical outcomes. This study aims to comprehensively review the current state of science on adult health literacy in surgery and to identify knowledge gaps for future research.

Methods:

Using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted to identify all studies from January 2002 through May 2018 that used validated instruments to assess health literacy among adult patients undergoing surgery. Studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and evaluated on findings by their focus on identifying health literacy levels, understanding associations with surgical outcomes, and/or developing interventions to address low health literacy.

Key Results:

There were 51 studies on health literacy with data from 22,139 patients included in this review. Low health literacy was present in more than one-third of surgical patients (34%, interquartile range 16%–50%). The most commonly used validated instrument for assessment of health literacy in the surgical population was the Newest Vital Sign. Most studies were focused on identifying the prevalence of low health literacy within a surgery population (84%, n = 43). Few studies focused on understanding the association of health literacy to surgical outcomes (12%, n = 6) and even fewer studies developed interventions to address health literacy (4%, n = 2).

Discussion:

Low health literacy is common among surgical patients. Important opportunities exist to better understand the role of health literacy in determining surgical outcomes and to develop more health literacy-sensitive models of surgical care. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2020;4(1):e45–e65.]

Plain Language Summary:

Health literacy has not been well-studied in surgery but likely plays an important role. In this article, we reviewed all current research on health literacy in surgery to help us understand where we are at and where we need to go. We found that low health literacy is common and we need more ways to address it in surgery.

Quality assessment of patient information on orthognathic surgery on the internet

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of online information for patients on orthognathic surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A selection of search terms specific for orthognathic surgery was chosen and 150 websites were identified using the Internet search engines Google, Yahoo and Bing. Irrelevant websites were excluded. The remaining websites were assessed with a modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool. EQIP evaluates the quality of medical patient information by measuring the three key aspects of content, structure, and identification data.

RESULTS

48 relevant websites were identified. EQIP values ranged between 2 and 28 (median 13.65). While 37 of the 48 websites described details of the surgical procedures, only 13 mentioned possible risks and complications of the surgery. No differences were found between the websites of private practices, dentists and public hospitals, universities, or others (p = 0.66). Websites found by Google had a significantly lower EQIP score compared with Yahoo and Bing (11.12 vs. 16.60 for Yahoo and 16.23 for Bing; p = 0.012). The better the rank of the website, the higher the EQIP score (r = -0.411, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study reflected a large variation of quality of information on orthognathic surgery on the Internet. Therefore, surgeons must be aware that they might be confronted with unrealistic expectations of patients, who may underestimate the potential risks and drawbacks of orthognathic surgery.

Delving deeper into disparity: The impact of health literacy on the surgical care of breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Breast surgical oncology is a unique field that involves complex cancer management and longstanding patient interactions with the healthcare system, making it potentially challenging for patients with low health literacy. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding health literacy in breast cancer and identify future directions for research and potential intervention in breast surgical oncology.

DATA SOURCES

A search of relevant literature querying PubMed and Science Direct was performed and included the following keywords: health literacy, breast cancer, breast surgical oncology, surgery, outcomes, prevention, screening, healthcare utilization, chronic disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Limited health literacy may detrimentally affect understanding and outcomes in breast surgical oncology. Identifying ways providers can improve patient understanding and utilization of health information is important, and surgeons may have a pivotal role. Further studies addressing health literacy in breast surgical oncology is needed in order to better optimize care of patients.

Perceptions of Clinical Trial Participation Among Women of Varying Health Literacy Levels

PURPOSE

To understand the perceptions of risk, benefit, and the informed consent process after enrolling in and completing a phase 2 clinical trial using intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) for early-stage breast cancer, and to determine how perceptions varied based on women's health literacy levels.

PARTICIPANTS & SETTING

20 participants who had already completed a phase 2 IORT clinical trial for early-stage breast cancer at an academic medical center.

METHODOLOGIC APPROACH

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using structured interviews consisting of questions aimed to elicit responses from participants regarding experiences of informed consent and the research process. A validated brief health literacy questionnaire was used to determine health literacy levels of participants. The authors analyzed themes using inductive thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

Women with lower levels of health literacy reported feeling confident enough in the provider to make the decision to enroll in the clinical trial during the initial consultation, and, in general, women reported relying heavily on provider recommendation for enrolling in the clinical trial.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Tailored approaches for patients with limited health literacy are needed during the clinical trial consent process. Additional longitudinal research with a larger sample size can extend study results and provide insight into the most effective way to modify the informed consent process for patients with limited health literacy.

Health Literacy, Language, and Cancer-Related Needs in the First 6 Months After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

PURPOSE

Low health literacy (HL) and language negatively affect cancer screening and prevention behaviors; less is known about how they affect the patient's experience during cancer treatment. This study explores associations among HL, spoken language, and dimensions of cancer-related needs within 6 months of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis.

METHODS

Women speaking English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole, enrolled in a patient navigation study at diagnosis, completed a survey in their primary spoken language at baseline and 6 months to characterize their cancer-related needs. HL was measured using the Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool. Outcomes included the Cancer Needs Distress Inventory (CaNDI; n = 38 items) and the Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy scale (CASE-Cancer) for cancer (n = 12 items). Linear regressions measured the impact of HL and language on total CaNDI and CASE-Cancer scale for cancer scores and subscales, adjusted for demographics.

RESULTS

At baseline, 262 women participated and 228 (87%) followed up at 6 months. Of these, 38% had adequate HL, 33% had marginal HL, and 29% had inadequate HL. Women with inadequate or marginal HL had higher median baseline CaNDI scores (P = .02) and lower self-efficacy scores (P = .008), relative to those with adequate HL. Haitian-Creole speakers had significantly lower CANDI scores at baseline (P = .03). Adjusting for demographics, differences in CaNDI scores at baseline remained significant for those with lower HL and Haitian-Creole speakers. At 6 months, differences in self-efficacy persisted for Haitian-Creole speakers.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that interventions oriented to mitigating HL and language barriers might reduce distress at the time of diagnosis and improve self-efficacy over the course of treatment.

Systematic Review of Health Literacy in Childhood Cancer Patients, Survivors, and Their Caregivers

Objective

This systematic review examined the literature regarding health literacy among pediatric cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers. Specific aims were to identify and summarize measures used, levels of and demographic correlates of health literacy, effects of health literacy interventions, and associations between health literacy and health outcomes.

Methods

The search strategy was executed in the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, and the Cochrane Library. Of the 842 unique studies retrieved, 9 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review.

Results

Studies used a variety of validated and study-specific measures with no measure emerging as the standard. Levels of health literacy were typically assessed subjectively and across studies the majority of those sampled self-reported adequate health literacy. Few studies examined demographic correlates of health literacy, precluding the identification of consistent predictors. Health literacy intervention research for this population is in its infancy and only pilot projects were identified; effects could not be evaluated. No studies assessed the impact of health literacy on health outcomes.

Conclusions

Very few studies assessed health literacy in pediatric oncology. As treatment for childhood cancer becomes increasingly complex, and patients and caregivers are expected to have adequate understanding of health information, health literacy is a critical construct that should not be overlooked.

Education Milestones for Newly Diagnosed Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Patients: A Quality Improvement Initiative

The diagnosis of cancer in a child, adolescent, or young adult is an emotionally overwhelming time. To improve the quality of education and support provided to patients and caregivers with a new cancer diagnosis, we executed a quality improvement initiative to (a) define key education milestones for the delivery of essential education during the first 2 months following diagnosis and (b) to define role accountability within the multidisciplinary team for delivery of content and execution of tasks. To develop education milestones, we (a) identified educational content from review of the literature, (b) determined the sequence of content delivery through qualitative interviews with patients and caregivers, and (c) developed education milestones by evaluation of existing workflows. To develop task lists, we (a) determined which multidisciplinary team member was best suited to deliver specific content and (b) defined discrete tasks required to execute education milestones. Key content topics and preferred sequence are as follows: Emotional Adjustment to Diagnosis, When and How to Call the Doctor, Medication Management, Practical Needs, Line Care, and Access to Nontherapeutic Clinical Trials. Eight education milestones were defined across the initial 2 months following cancer diagnosis. The education milestones are paired with task lists. The education milestones and task lists guide the execution of complex education across a multidisciplinary service line in an emotionally challenging time. Early information focuses on essential content, role responsibility is clearly defined, and psychosocial support services are purposefully and iteratively integrated into care during the initial weeks following a cancer diagnosis.

Does patient health literacy impact adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients?

PURPOSE

Functional health literacy is critical for patients' functional understanding and management of disease including adherence to medications and treatment recommendations. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between self-reported health literacy and 1) decision to take adjuvant endocrine therapy and 2) adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy at 2 years among women with breast cancer.

METHODS

We initiated a prospective health literacy assessment to determine the relationship between health literacy and breast health outcomes. Among our overall cohort, we determined women who had estrogen receptor positive (ER+) disease and were recommended to take adjuvant endocrine therapy, those who initiated treatment, and those adherent at 2 years following diagnosis. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were calculated to determine the relationship between health literacy and both initiation and adherence.

RESULTS

Among the 340 patients in the sample who were recommended to take adjuvant endocrine therapy, 296 (87.1%) initiated the therapy. Two-year follow-up data are available in 136 patients with ER+ tumors. Among the patients with 2-year longitudinal data available, 108 (79.4%) were adherent and still taking the endocrine therapy at 2 years following diagnosis. In univariate logistic regression analysis, there was no statistical significance between health literacy and initiation of adjuvant endocrine therapy or adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy at 2 years.

CONCLUSION

Despite the underpinnings regarding health literacy and medication adherence supporting our hypothesis, we did not find an association between health literacy and the decision to initiate therapy or continued adherence at 2 years following diagnosis. Further study is needed to determine the nuances in adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy for women with breast cancer.