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Biomedical subjects

John C Ruckdeschel

Publications and source records attributed to John C Ruckdeschel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Information seeking during "bad news" oncology interactions: Question asking by patients and their companions.

Previous research has investigated patient question asking in clinical settings as a strategy of information seeking and as an indicator of the level of active patient participation in the interaction. This study investigates questions asked by patients and their companions during stressful encounters in the oncology setting in the USA. We transcribed all questions patients and companions asked the oncologist during 28 outpatient interactions in which "bad news" was discussed (n = 705) and analyzed them for frequency and topic. Additionally, we analyzed the extent to which personal and demographic characteristics and independently obtained ratings of the oncologist-patient/companion relationships were related to question asking. Findings demonstrated that at least one companion was present in 24 (86%) of the 28 interactions and companions asked significantly more questions than patients. The most frequently occurring topics for both patients and companions were treatment, diagnostic testing, diagnosis, and prognosis. In general, personal and demographic characteristics were unrelated to question asking, but older patients asked fewer questions, while more educated patients asked more questions. With regard to ratings of the quality of the dyadic relationships, results showed that "trust" between the physician and companions was positively correlated and "conversational dominance by physician" was negatively correlated with the frequency of companion questions. Additionally, positive ratings of the relationship between physicians and companions were correlated with fewer patient questions. This study demonstrates that companions are active participants in stressful oncology interactions. Future research and physician training in communication would benefit from expanding the focus beyond the patient-physician dyad to the roles and influence of multiple participants in medical interactions.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Transdisciplinary studies of surgical oncology trial accrual: A National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Roadmap-affiliated project update.

BACKGROUND: A key objective of the National Institutes of Health Roadmap Initiative during the past 2 years has been to address scientific problems and issues through innovative research collaborations that cut across disciplines, traditions, and agendas. METHODS: Recognizing an opportunity to focus on the growing problem of low accrual to cancer surgical trials, the authors organized a multidisciplinary network of 21 clinical researchers and social/behavioral scientists to meet, review the issues, and organize working groups to study the problem. The authors, as representatives of the Karmanos Cancer Institute (Detroit, MI) and the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, were awarded a Roadmap-affiliated grant from the National Cancer Institute under the "Meetings and Networks for Methodological Development in Interdisciplinary Research" funding mechanism. RESULTS: The overarching objective that guided the methodological developments of this network was to apply state-of-the-science methodologies and analytical strategies to examine the biobehavioral and interpersonal factors that facilitate or impede patients' treatment decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: In this brief report, the authors describe the objectives of their multidisciplinary network and their progress to date.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMed2005

Familial lung cancer: genetic susceptibility and relationship to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer death, and although most lung cancer is attributable to cigarette smoking, underlying genetic susceptibility is suggested by studies demonstrating familial aggregation. The first family linkage study of lung cancer has identified linkage of lung, laryngeal, and pharyngeal cancer in families to a region on chromosome 6q23-25. Because lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are known to aggregate in families beyond shared risk associated with smoking, the linkage results are compared and contrasted with results from genomewide linkage and association studies and candidate gene studies searching for genes for lung cancer, lung function, and COPD. Linkage on chromosome 6q to both lung cancer and lung function, and on 12 to lung cancer, COPD, and lung function, together with overlap in candidate genes for these outcomes, suggests that future research into underlying genetic mechanisms of lung disease would benefit from broadening the collection of family history data and better defining the "high risk" population. As familial risk of lung disease is better defined, referral into screening programs and prevention trials can be better targeted to reach families with both a history of lung cancer and COPD.

Genetic Linkage↗
PubMed2005

Risk of lung cancer among white and black relatives of individuals with early-onset lung cancer.

CONTEXT: Evidence exists that lung cancer aggregates in families and recent findings of a chromosomal region linked to lung cancer susceptibility support a genetic component to risk. Family studies of early-onset lung cancer patients offer a unique opportunity to evaluate lifetime risk of lung cancer in relatives. OBJECTIVE: To measure lung cancer aggregation and estimate lifetime risk among relatives of early-onset cases and population-based controls. DESIGN AND SETTING: Familial aggregation and cumulative risk estimates from interview data of incident cases and concurrently ascertained controls between 1990 and 2003 in metropolitan Detroit, Mich. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 7576 biological mothers, fathers, and siblings of 692 early-onset cases and 773 frequency-matched controls. One third of the population was black. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cumulative lifetime risk of lung cancer, stratified by race and smoking behavior in relatives of early-onset cases and controls. RESULTS: Smokers with a family history of early-onset lung cancer in a first-degree relative had a higher risk of developing lung cancer with increasing age than smokers without a family history. An increase in risk occurs after age 60 years in these individuals, with 17.1% (SE 2.4%) of white case relatives and 25.1% (SE 5.8%) of black case relatives diagnosed with lung cancer by age 70 years. Relatives of black cases were at statistically significant increased risk of lung cancer compared with relatives of white cases (odds ratio, 2.07, 95% confidence interval, 1.29-3.32) after adjusting for age, sex, pack-years, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive lung disease. CONCLUSIONS: First-degree relatives of black individuals with early-onset lung cancer have greater risk of lung cancer than their white counterparts, and these risks are further amplified by cigarette smoking. These data provide estimates of lung cancer risk that can be used to offer counseling to family members of patients with early-onset lung cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Genetic linkage of prostate cancer risk to the chromosome 3 region bearing FHIT.

We conducted linkage analysis of 80 candidate genes in 201 brother pairs affected with prostatic adenocarcinoma. Markers representing two adjacent candidate genes on chromosome 3p, CDC25A and FHIT, showed suggestive evidence for linkage with single-point identity-by-descent allele-sharing statistics. Fine-structure multipoint linkage analysis yielded a maximum LOD score of 3.17 (P = 0.00007) at D3S1234 within FHIT intron 5. For a subgroup of 38 families in which three or more affected brothers were reported, the LOD score was 3.83 (P = 0.00001). Further analysis reported herein suggested a recessive mode of inheritance. Association testing of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) spanning a 381-kb interval surrounding D3S1234 in 202 cases of European descent with 143 matched, unrelated controls revealed significant evidence for association between case status and the A allele of single nucleotide polymorphism rs760317, located within intron 5 of FHIT (Pearson's chi(2) = 8.54, df = 1, P = 0.0035). Our results strongly suggest involvement of germline variations of FHIT in prostate cancer risk.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases↗
PubMed2005

Communication and informed consent.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To examine recent cancer research literature on the extent to which effective communication with adult and pediatric patients and their surrogates occurs during the informed consent process. RECENT FINDINGS: The limited recent empirical evidence found reveals several gaps in knowledge about the quality and process of communication and informed consent. Although commentary and recommendations about the process are available, little is known regarding the actual ways in which treatment and clinical trial information is explained by oncologists (and/or other healthcare providers) to patients and/or their authorized representatives. The few studies reported show wide differences in the ways the process is conducted in differing oncology settings (i.e., academic compared with community clinics), with different types of patients (i.e., adults and children), and in different cultural contexts. SUMMARY: Despite the identified shortcomings in the ways the communication process is transacted and the relative paucity of empirical studies, nearly all investigators and authors agree that personal interaction between healthcare providers and patients (or surrogates) is critical to maintaining the integrity and ethical standards necessary to achieve informed consent.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2005

A portable, unobtrusive device for videorecording clinical interactions.

Recording and analyzing real-time interactions in clinical settings is important for basic and applied research in psychology and other disciplines. Investigators frequently have used simple audiotaping procedures to record these encounters (e.g., Roter, Geller, Bernhardt, Larson, & Doksum, 1999), but videorecording is increasingly viewed as more reliable and valid, because it captures the full range of complex and interdependent verbal and nonverbal behaviors that occur in an interaction. This article describes a system designed to videotape clinical interactions in a manner that can be moved in and out of different clinical rooms to preserve flexibility in its use. Data are presented to demonstrate that the system is unobtrusive during the interaction, yet fully compatible with institutional review board guidelines to protect human participants' privacy and freedom to control the recording process.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed2005

Early detection and treatment of spinal cord compression.

Several key areas must be considered in the diagnosis and management of spinal cord compression. Because the outcome can be devastating, a diagnosis must be made early and treatment initiated promptly. Although any malignancy can metastasize to the spine, clinicians should be aware that this occurs more commonly in certain diseases, i.e., lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and myeloma. The current algorithm for early diagnosis of spinal cord compression involves neurologic assessment and magnetic resonance imaging of the entire spine. Treatment generally consists of intravenous dexamethasone followed by oral dosing. Depending on the extent of the metastases, symptoms may also be managed with nonnarcotic pain medicines, anti-inflammatory medications, and/or bisphosphonates, with local radiation administered as needed. Surgery has often led to destabilization of the spine.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

Real-time patient satisfaction survey and improvement process.

The purpose of this article is to describe how one multidisciplinary hospital responded to patient-satisfaction issues and improved communication throughout its organization by implementing a real-time assessment of patient and staff satisfaction for a faster and better-focused improvement process. The survey process is based on eliciting information from several different sources in a manner that allows corrective action plans to be made and implemented within 4 to 8 weeks of patient encounters. Organized groups can then review feedback from the implemented action plans within 9 to 16 weeks of patient encounters. This 4-month process is repeated on a quarterly basis, as lessons learned from the previous cycle are fed into the upcoming survey process for continuous patient-satisfaction improvement. Employees, faculty, and administrators have accepted the Real-Time Patient Satisfaction Survey and Improvement Process as a routine activity within the normal operating structure at the Moffitt Cancer Center. This activity of problem identification-action-feedback has been well integrated in the system and will continue to rotate throughout all patient care clinical services at the Moffitt Cancer Center. The program has become a method for goal-setting and establishing management accountability. As an adaptation of continuous quality improvement, The Real-Time Patient Satisfaction Survey and Improvement Process at the Moffitt Cancer Center is applicable for use in other hospitals and cancer centers in the United States. The general design, materials, and analysis plan can be directed toward the needs of the specific institution (and are available for distribution by contacting the authors).

Cancer Care Facilities↗
PubMed2003

Communication and consumer decision making about cancer clinical trials.

Communication between patients and physicians likely mediates traditional patient and physician predispositions in determining patient outcomes, including perceptions and decision making. However, the extent to which a mediating effect occurs is unclear. The purpose of this essay is to outline the need for conceptualizing more holistic models of consumer-provider interaction that demonstrate the role of the therapeutic relationship in treatment outcomes. We focus on an important communicative context for exploring this question: the situation where patients, with the help of oncologists, are faced with making treatment choices, particularly whether to enroll in a clinical trial in response to their life-threatening cancer diagnosis. We explore the question from the perspectives of the medical provider, the patient, and the accompanying family member, in order to better frame the complex interactional dynamics occurring during the interaction.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2003

Understanding patient decisions about clinical trials and the associated communication process: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: Although patient participation in clinical trials is vital to cancer research, the rate of enrollment in such trials is not adequate for advancing scientific knowledge. Relatively little is known about why patients enroll in such trials. This affects the training and education programs designed to increase such participation. METHODS: A model of the accrual process, which focuses on communication among the physician, patient, and family members is described. Then a system for observing and recording these interactions is presented. RESULTS, CONCLUSION: Data are presented that suggest using the system to test the conceptual model can improve our understanding of patient decisions about clinical trials and hold out the potential for improving provider training.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2003

Treatment of stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer represents a relatively heterogeneous group of patients with metastatic disease to the ipsilateral mediastinal (N2) lymph nodes and also includes T3N1 patients. Presentations of disease range from apparently resectable tumors with occult microscopic nodal metastases to unresectable, bulky multistation nodal disease. Controversy abounds as to the optimal treatment of the various stage IIIA subsets, which is fueled by a lack of meaningful, large randomized trials. Multimodality therapy of some type appears to be preferable in stage IIIA patients.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗
PubMed2003

Lung cancer. Practice organization.

The management of patients with suspected or known lung cancer is becoming increasingly complex. State-of-the-art care often requires input from many sources, including pulmonology, thoracic surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, and radiology. Valuable contributions to care also come from nursing, social work, psychology, psychiatry, pastoral care, and palliative care, among others. As a result, multidisciplinary input into care is vital. Patients with suspected lung cancer should be expeditiously evaluated and referred for management. Clear and understandable information on the diagnosis, treatment options, and possible outcomes should be provided. Treatment recommendations should be based on locally agreed-on adaptations of clinical practice guidelines. Provisions for ongoing care should be apparent to all concerned

Communication↗
PubMed2002

Efficacy and costs of two forms of stress management training for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Professionally administered psychosocial interventions have been shown to improve the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The present study sought to improve access to psychosocial interventions during chemotherapy treatment by evaluating the efficacy and costs of a patient self-administered form of stress management training that requires limited professional time or experience to deliver. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four hundred eleven patients about to start chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive usual psychosocial care only, a professionally administered form of stress management training, or a patient self-administered form of stress management training. Quality-of-life assessments were conducted before randomization and before the second, third, and fourth treatment cycles. Intervention costs were estimated from both payer and societal perspectives. RESULTS: Compared with patients who received usual care only, patients receiving the self-administered intervention reported significantly (P < or = .05) better physical functioning, greater vitality, fewer role limitations because of emotional problems, and better mental health. In contrast, patients who received the professionally administered intervention fared no better in terms of quality of life than patients receiving usual care only. Costs of the self-administered intervention were estimated to be 66% (from a payer perspective) to 68% (from a societal perspective) less than the average costs of professionally administered psychosocial interventions for patients starting chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Evidence regarding the efficacy and favorable costs of self-administered stress management training suggests that this intervention has the potential to greatly improve patient access to psychosocial intervention during chemotherapy treatment.

Adult↗