The role of patient-provider communication, patient satisfaction, and self-efficacy on health-related quality of life in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer survivors.

[BACKGROUND] Effective patient-provider communication (PPC) is critical during the initiation of adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) and is essential to health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Research highlighting factors linking PPC and HRQoL among women initiating AET is limited. This study sought to examine the relationship between PPC and HRQoL through the serial mediating effect of patient satisfaction (PS) and communication/attitudinal self-efficacy (CA-SE) among women initiating AET.

[METHODS] 572 hormone receptor-positive breast cancer survivors (BCSs) on AET completed questionnaires assessing demographic/clinical variables, HRQoL, PPC, PS and CA-SE. A serial mediation analysis was conducted.

[RESULTS] PPC was positively correlated with HRQoL ( = 0.219,  < 0.001). A serial mediation analysis demonstrated that PPC was a significant determinant of HRQoL which was primarily explained by the serial effect of PS and CA-SE ( = 0.04, CI [0.02, 0.07]).

[CONCLUSIONS] Findings highlight the benefit of optimal PPC, PS, and CA-SE on HRQoL in BCSs initiating AET. Identifying such factors elucidate possible targets for future interventions.