• Martin H N Tattersall.
• Department of Cancer Medicine, DO6, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. mtatt@med.usyd.edu.au
• Support Care Cancer. 2002 Apr 1; 10 (3): 217-21.

AbstractFacilities for audio-taping medical consultations are widely available, and an increasing proportion of cancer patients request and/or appreciate the offer of an audio-tape after an oncology consultation. We have examined the usefulness to patients and their families of audio-tapes of initial and follow-up consultations. We have used consultation audio-tapes as a research tool investigating doctor-patient communication. Audio-tapes may ultimately find a place as an audit tool to monitor oncologist performance. We have audio-taped several hundred medical and radiation oncology consultations over the past 10 years. We have developed methods of analysing oncologist-patient communication and studied a variety of interventions designed to enhance communication in the cancer consultation. We have offered consultation audio-tapes to cancer patients after their initial oncology consultation and after routine outpatient follow-up appointments, and documented their use. Cancer patients and their family's value consultation audio-tapes as an information aid, and to assist recall. Consultation audio-tapes document information provision and allow analysis of oncologist-patient interaction in discussion of prognosis, treatment options and seeking/giving informed consent. Consultation audio-tapes have a role in providing feedback concerning oncologist performance. Oncologists should consider installing audio-tape-recording facilities and offer new and follow-up patients a taped consultation. Audio-tapes are a valuable tool in the investigation of oncologist-patient interactions.

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