Centre for Policy on Ageing



Should elderly patients be told they have cancer? — questionnaire survey of older people
Author(s)	A Ajaj, M P Singh, A J J Abdulla
Journal title	British Medical Journal, vol 323, no 7322, 17 November 2001
Pages	p 1160
Keywords	Cancer ; Diagnosis ; Attitude ; Social surveys.
Annotation	There is evidence that doctors fail to inform patients when they diagnose cancer, and that this is more likely to be the case with older people. Although it is appreciated that patients want more information about their illness, few studies have specifically targeted older people to assess their opinions about cancer and how much they would wish to know about their diagnosis. The authors produced a questionnaire accordingly for 199 patients from day hospitals and outpatient clinics, and 71 from a local senior citizens association. Of 270 (86%) completing the questionnaire, 88% would like to be told if they developed cancer. Although most wanted their families to be informed, a sizeable minority (28%) did not wish their families to know. The study thus clarifies the range of views held by older people on how they would wish to be kept informed. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-011120201 A
Classmark	CK: LK7: DP: 3F *
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.