Recordings or summaries of consultations for people with cancer

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Abstract
Background Many people find it difficult to remember information provided during medical consultations. One way of improving this may be to provide a record of the conversation. Objectives This review examined the effects of providing recordings or summaries of their consultations to people with cancer and their families. Search methods We searched the following sources: The Cochrane Library (issue 4 2002); MEDLINE (1966 to January week 1 2003); CINAHL (1982 to December week 4 2002); Dissertation Abstracts (1861 to week 2 2003); EMBASE (1985 to week 2 2003); PsycINFO (1967 to January week 2 2003); AMED (1985 to December 2002); and Sociological Abstracts (1998 to week 2 2003). For the initial (1999) publication of this review we also searched the following databases: Sociofile; Cancerlit; IAC Health & Wellness; JICST; Pascal; ERIC; ASSIA; Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts; Mental Health Abstracts; CAB Health; DHSS‐Data; MANTIS. Selection criteria Randomised and non‐randomised controlled trials that evaluate the effects of providing recordings (e.g. audiotapes) or summaries (e.g. letter with reminders of key points) of consultations to people with cancer or their families. Two reviewers assessed studies for inclusion. Data collection and analysis Data were extracted by one reviewer and checked by another reviewer. The quality of studies was assessed on six criteria. Main results Twelve studies satisfied the selection criteria. All involved adult participants. The studies did not all measure similar outcomes. In seven studies, between 83% and 96% of participants found recordings or summaries of their consultations valuable. Five out of nine studies reported better recall of information for those receiving recordings or summaries. Four out of seven studies found that participants provided with a recording or summary were more satisfied with the information received. No studies (out of seven) found any statistically significant effect on anxiety or depression. One study evaluated the effects on quality of life, but found no main effects. No study evaluated the effects on survival. Authors' conclusions The provision of recordings or summaries of key consultations may benefit most adults with cancer. Although more research is needed to improve our understanding of these interventions, most patients find them very useful. Practitioners should consider offering people tape recordings or written summaries of their consultations