• Kathryn A Martinez, Ken Resnicow, Geoffrey C Williams, Marlene Silva, Paul Abrahamse, Dean A Shumway, Lauren P Wallner, Steven J Katz, and Sarah T Hawley.
• Cleveland Clinic, Center for Value-Based Care Research, 9500 Euclid Ave, G10 Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. Electronic address: martink12@ccf.org.
• Patient Educ Couns. 2016 Dec 1; 99 (12): 1947-1954.

ObjectiveProvider communication that supports patient autonomy has been associated with numerous positive patient outcomes. However, to date, no research has examined the relationship between perceived provider communication style and patient-assessed decision quality in breast cancer.MethodsUsing a population-based sample of women with localized breast cancer, we assessed patient perceptions of autonomy-supportive communication from their surgeons and medical oncologists, as well as patient-reported decision quality. We used multivariable linear regression to examine the association between autonomy-supportive communication and subjective decision quality for surgery and chemotherapy decisions, controlling for sociodemographic and clinical factors, as well as patient-reported communication preference (non-directive or directive).ResultsAmong the 1690 women included in the overall sample, patient-reported decision quality scores were positively associated with higher levels of perceived autonomy-supportive communication from surgeons (β=0.30; p<0.001) and medical oncologists (β=0.26; p<0.001). Patient communication style preference moderated the association between physician communication style received and perceived decision quality.ConclusionAutonomy-supportive communication by physicians was associated with higher subjective decision quality among women with localized breast cancer. These results support future efforts to design interventions that enhance autonomy-supportive communication.Practice ImplicationsAutonomy-supportive communication by cancer doctors can improve patients' perceived decision quality.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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