Browsing by Subject "Breast cancer outcomes"

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    Patient Experience Ratings: What Do Breast Surgery Patients Care About?
    (Springer Nature, 2022-09-06) Fan, Betty; Imeokparia, Folasade; Ludwig, Kandice; Korff, Lisa; Hunter-Squires, Joanna; Chandrasekaran, Bindhupriya; Samra, Sandeep; Manghelli, Joshua; Fisher, Carla; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Patient experience is essential in the overall care; physicians often receive patient reviews evaluating their consultation encounters. Patient experience surveys can be a helpful tool to identify areas to target for improvement. We sought to evaluate what factors influenced breast surgery patients' reviews of their clinic visits. Methods: Prospective surveys from 2018-2020 were reviewed from a single institution. Surveys were sent to all patients within 48 hours after visiting one of our breast surgery clinics, and patients were asked their preferred mode of contact for the survey. Patients responded to surveys with scores of 0-10, with 0 as "not likely" and 10 "extremely likely" to recommend the provider's office. Scores 0-6 were considered negative, 7-8 neutral, and 9-10 positive. Positive/Negative comments from patients were reviewed and classified according to mention of surgeon, clinic staff/team, clinic processing, and facility amenities. Results: 744 out of 2205 patients contacted responded to the survey, resulting in a 33.7% response rate. Of this cohort, 47.6% (354/744) were new patients, and 52.4% (390/744) were established patients. Interactive voice response (IVR) and email, per patient indicated preferred mode of survey communication, had the highest responses. The average patient score was 9.5. Most ratings were positive (91.3%, 679/744), followed by neutral comments (5.2%, 39/744). There were 3.5% (26/744) which were negative ratings. Of those who responded, 47.7% (355/744) left a comment with their score. Surgeon-specific remarks were often noted in positive comments, followed by clinic staff/team comments. Negative comments most commonly referenced clinic processes. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction surveys provide a window into creating the best patient experience. Further efforts to address these factors affecting patient experiences should be made to continue improving patient care.
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    Second Opinions in Breast Cancer Surgery: What Have We Learned?
    (Springer Nature, 2022-10-11) Beer, Meghan; Allison, Hannah; Fisher, Carla; Fan, Betty; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Second-opinion consultations (SOCs) provide many benefits. However, duplicate office visits and the logistics of transferring medical records may be concerning for delaying treatment. There is currently no clear understanding regarding the characteristics of patients with breast cancer who desire second surgical opinions or if this contributes to delays in care. Methods: A review of our institutional database from July 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, identified breast cancer patients who were documented to be SOCs or primary consultations (PC). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy patients were excluded. Comparisons of patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, and surgery factors were performed using chi-square analysis. All analyses were two-tailed and statistical significance was assigned at p <0.05. This study was deemed IRB-exempt. Results: In our review, 158 breast cancer patients were identified, 21 (13.3%) SOCs and 137 (86.7%) PCs. Of the SOCs, 90% (19/21) underwent surgery at our institution. The study revealed an increased incidence of SOCs in those patients who ultimately underwent mastectomy (p=0.039) as well as those with lower pathologic T stage (p=0.021). There were no other differences in demographics, surgery, or tumor characteristics. No delay was seen in time for treatment. Conclusions: Patients who sought second opinions were more likely to undergo mastectomy and had lower pathologic tumor size. The time from biopsy to surgery appointment was longer in patients who sought second opinions but there were no differences in the time from biopsy or surgery appointment. It is encouraging that those who sought second opinions did not face any delay in care once established.