24GUT540: Opportunity for Breast Cancer Patients to Meet With a Pathologist to Review the Pathology Slides of Their Breast Samples

Summary

Historically, most pathologists have had little direct contact or communication with patients. In the past two decades, however, there has been a modest movement toward patient-pathologist visits in which pathologists review with patients their pathology slides. Very few studies of such encounters have been conducted. Most surveyed patients reported that the experience was positive and helpful to them. Our basic goal is to determine if such meetings are useful to patients; a secondary goal is to determine if such encounters are useful to, and practical for, pathologists.

Arms & interventions

• OtherQuestionnaires of Patient understanding of Pathologist input

  * Benefit Self-Rating Total Score (assessing patient's perceptions of anticipated and actual extent to which they benefitted from the meeting with the pathologist) * Knowledge Questionnaire Total Score (assessing accuracy of knowledge of their own diagnosis and the diagnostic process in general) * State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (Total Scores for state (current) and trait (general) anxiety)

Outcome measures

Eligibility criteria