Allowing cancer patients to hold medical records containing essential information for managing their disease may improve their satisfaction and the coordination of their medical care.
Objective: Our aim was to determine breast cancer patients' interest in and expectations of such medical records and the exchange of information during their treatment.
Methods: Eighty-six hospital physicians were selected to distribute an anonymous questionnaire to all of the breast cancer patients they saw in consultations.
Results: Out of 194 patients asked, 140 (72%) participated in the survey. Forty-eight percent were "highly satisfied", 47% were "quite satisfied" with their involvement in their treatment and 43% preferred to play a relatively passive role in decisions concerning treatments. When offered, 79% agreed to hold paper medical records containing test results, reports and letters. Many found these medical records to be useful and a possible means for improving communication. Others, however, expressed reservations concerning privacy or losing or forgetting the records.
Conclusion: The principle of shared medical records could satisfy the majority of breast cancer patients. Experimenting with this concept in the field would enable practitioners to better determine the content of the records and how they can be used on a practical basis.