Tumor talk: A descriptive study of communication about tumor board meetings
https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2022.10717
Accepted: 30 August 2022
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Tumor board meetings are behind-the-scenes settings where communication about health and strategizing about healthcare delivery take place. Despite their wide use in hospitals and cancer centers, there is a dearth of information about the communication practices in this context. Drawing upon six weeks of observations, this study investigated communication during tumor board meetings at a tertiary cancer center in the Southeastern United States. Findings revealed differences in communication among cancer specialties, with one tumor board consistently talking about the medical and non-medical elements of patient cases, while other specialties focused primarily on plans for treatment with little discussion about quality of life, economic, or caregiver support issues. The manuscript includes suggestions for modifying tumor conferences and opportunities for future research.
World Health Organization. Cancer. 2022. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/
Ellingson L. Interdisciplinary health care teamwork in the clinical backstage. J Appl Comm Res 2003;31:93-117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0090988032000064579
Ellingson L. Communicating in the clinic: Negotiating frontstage and backstage teamwork. Creskill, NJ: Hampton Pres; 2005.
Ragan, SL Wittenberg-Lyles, EM Goldsmith, J Sanchez-Reilly S. Communication as comfort: Multiple voices in palliative care. New York: Routledge; 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203938676
Roscoe LA, Tullis JA, Reich RR, McCaffrey JC. Beyond good intentions and patient perceptions: Competing definitions of effective communication in head and neck cancer care at the end of life. Health Comm 2013;28:183-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2012.666957
Gross GE. The role of tumor board in a community hospital. CA Cancer J Clin 1987;327;88-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3322/canjclin.37.2.88
Stevenson MM, Irwin T, Lowry T, et al. Development of a virtual multidisciplinary lung cancer tumor board in a community setting. J Oncol Pract 2013;9:e77-e80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JOP.2013.000882
Petty, JK Vetto JT. Beyond doughnuts: Tumor board recommendations influence patient care. J Cancer Educ 2002;17:97-100.
Keating, NL, Landrum, MB, Lamont, EB, et al. Tumor boards and the quality of cancer care. J Natl Cancer Inst 2013;105:113-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djs502
Blayney DW. Tumor boards (team huddles) aren't enough to reach the goal. J Natl Cancer Inst 2013;105:82-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djs523
Wheless SA, McKinney KA, Zanation AM. A prospective study of the clinical impact of a multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2010;143:650-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otohns.2010.07.020
Specchia ML, Frisicale EM, Carini E, et al. The impact of tumor board on cancer care: evidence from an umbrella review. BMC Health Serv Res 2020;20:73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-4930-3
Weston LE, Krein S, Harrod M. Using observation to better understand the healthcare context. Qual Res Med Healthcare 2022;5:9821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2021.9821
Morse, JM. Confusing categories and themes. Qual Health Res 2008;18:727-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732308314930
Raghavan D, Keith NA, Warden HR, et al. Levine Cancer Institute Financial Toxicity Tumor Board: a potential solution to an emerging problem. JCO Oncology Practice 2021;17:e1433-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/OP.21.00124
Wittenberg-Lyles E, Oliver DP, Kruse RL, et al. Family caregiver participation in hospice interdisciplinary team meetings: how does it affect the nature and content of communication? Health Communication 2013;28:110-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2011.652935
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Downloads
Citations
