Disclosure of cancer diagnosis: Pakistani patients perspective

To ascertain cancer patients' views regarding disclosure of diagnosis in the Pakistani population, anxiety levels after disclosure of the diagnosis, interest in knowing all the treatment options and desire to inform their families. In this cross-sectional study, 147 cancer patients from different hospitals in Pakistan were asked questions to determine their opinions regarding whether the diagnosis of cancer should be disclosed to patients and their relatives or not. Anxiety after diagnosis disclosure and who should disclose this information were also asked. Patients were also asked about their views regarding whether their families should be informed about the cancer diagnosis without patient's prior consent. A total of 147 cancer patients completed the questionnaire. Of these, 112 [76.2%] wanted to know about their cancer diagnosis while only 28 [19.0%] patients refused. Anxiety levels were increased in 59 [40.1%] patients, remained the same in 61 [41.5%] and decreased in 27 [18.4%]. One hundred and twenty three patients [83.7%], wanted to know the diagnosis from their physicians. Eighty-four [57.1%] patients were interested in all treatment options, while 102 [69.4%] patients wanted to be actively involved in decision making about their treatment. Only 37 [25.2%] patients answered affirmatively to the question which asked if their families were informed about the patient's disease without patient's prior knowledge, while 82 [55.8%] disagreed. The majority of cancer patients wanted disclosure of their disease by their doctor. The results of this study provide important implications for Pakistani doctors concerning the practice of diagnostic cancer disclosure to the patients

Appraisal of the knowledge of internet users of Pakistan regarding hepatitis using on line survey

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are global health care problems causing morbidity and mortality. Much of it could be prevented by better education of the masses regarding its spread. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge base of internet users of Pakistan to help in formulating education strategies. A survey questionnaire consisting of 20 close ended questions was designed and hosted on a website. The responses submitted at the website were auto-emailed to the author. A total of 1024 complete responses were included. The survey shows increased level of awareness according to the educational status. The knowledge status of lowest education level was also adequate possibly due to access to internet to these respondents. Internet users in Pakistan have adequate core knowledge regarding hepatitis