Background
Patients newly diagnosed with melanoma are required to navigate multiple teams, investigations and treatment decisions at a time when stress, uncertainty and cognitive overload reduce their capacity to process and retain information. If we treat education as a single event rather than an ongoing process, even the most important messages can be lost. Our role extends beyond providing information, to supporting patients to revisit, understand and apply information throughout their care journey.
Methods
This presentation synthesises evidence from clinical psychology, health literacy and behaviour change literature to develop practical recommendations for melanoma clinicians. It will explore Ley’s Cognitive Hypothesis Model, which proposes three cognitive and emotional factors that impact treatment concordance: 1) patients’ understanding of the information, 2) ability to recall the information, and 3) the emotional and communication style of the clinician. This presentation also considers the limitations of Ley’s model and demonstrates how integration with the COM-B Behaviour Change Framework provides a broader understanding of patients’ capability, opportunity and motivation. Evidence informed communication strategies will be presented to support patient understanding, information retention, and treatment engagement.
Impact on Practice
Patient distress, shock, pain, age-related factors, cognitive filtering, consultation duration, communication style and information load all influence information retention. Despite this, it is often at times of high stress when the most critical information is being delivered. This can lead to increased patient distress, safety concerns, confusion and frustration for all parties. Applying principles from Ley’s Cognitive Hypothesis Model alongside the COM-B framework provides clinicians with practical strategies to improve patient understanding, recall, shared decision making and engagement throughout the melanoma care pathways.
Conclusion
Patient-centred models of health care value a patient’s autonomy and position the patient as an equal partner who shares in the decision-making process. This presentation will improve information retention, support shared-decision making and enhance patient outcomes across the early melanoma care pathway.