Adding a Wider Range and “Hope for the Best, and Prepare for the Worst” Statement: Preferences of Patients with Cancer for Prognostic Communication

Abstract

Discussing prognoses with patients with advanced cancer is among the most important conversations for clinicians. In this cross-sectional survey to systematically investigate preferences of 412 patients with cancer for phrases conveying prognostic information, phrases with the median, typical range, and best/worst cases and those with the "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" (hope/prepare) statement were the most preferred. When patients with cancer ask about prognoses, clinicians may provide explicit information with a wider range and include the hope/prepare statement.