Table 4 Patients’ suggestions for improvement in nodule discussions
Mode of communication | |
Veteran F-V2 | ‘Well of course somebody directly speaking to you about it would be the best way. You know, I think that sending you some sort of a letter about it, I don’t think that would be the way to do it because the letter could get lost, something like that, so I think that you need to have a verbal discussion.’ |
Veteran P-V2 | ‘It would have been nice for somebody to sit down with me and explain to me exactly what a nodule is, what it does, and so forth.’ |
More information | |
Veteran Q-V2 | ‘No, I don’t feel I have enough information…If there was a little pamphlet or something that would explain nodules or how it’s caused or what it can do or what it can lead to… I mean if I would have gotten a pamphlet like that … then that would have been very helpful to me.’ |
Veteran B-V3 | ‘I want to know everything; I don’t care if it’s upsetting. If I have reason to be upset, then let me be upset. Let me decide how upset I want to be. But don’t not tell me information. Because not knowing scares the crap out of me.’ |
Cancer risk | |
Veteran C-V2 | ‘Put down odds or whatever [for cancer]. And why you take a year or so in between CT scans, and the reason behind it and stuff like that.’ |
Veteran D-V3 | ‘So those were my first thoughts [cancer]. If you could do that [report cancer risk] in a letter that said, ‘you have a 2% chance,’ or, ‘this is really rare,’ somehow downplay it, minimalize it, whatever.’ |
Future Plan | |
Veteran F-V3 | ‘And of course if it’s something that they tell me, ‘Well things haven’t changed from last year,’ that’s still sort of an ominous thing. Because what happens if it does change? How do we address that specific problem in the future if it does change?’ |
