The patient perspective of treatment for Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPE)- results of a pilot service-evaluation questionnaire.

Background: Patients with Malignant Pleural Effusions are offered both inpatient (talc pleurodesis) and outpatient (Indwelling Pleural Catheter (IPC)) treatment options as palliative therapeutic relief. There is a paucity of data regarding the patient experience of either of these treatments. Aim: To evaluate patient satisfaction with both inpatient and outpatient treatment options for MPE. Results: Patients treated with talc pleurodesis (n=18) had an extended inpatient hospital stay (> 3 days) following their procedure. The majority of IPC patients were discharged the same day (n=7/8)). There was a clear preference in the talc pleurodesis group for inpatient treatment, with over half reporting that they would not consider IPC management. Four-fifths of those surveyed believed outpatient management would have either no effect or a negative effect on their quality of life (n=12, 80.0%). Patients who had the IPC reported generally positive outcomes, with the majority experiencing no discomfort and 87.5% of participants rated the overall experience as positive. All but one of the IPC patients surveyed were receiving support at home with their IPC from a domiciliary nurse (n=7, 87.5%) Conclusion: Talc pleurodesis patients report longer inpatient stays than IPC patients, however most would not consider a switch to outpatient management beneficial. The majority of surveyed IPC patients receive assistance at home from a health professional and report positive outcomes. Our results suggest the importance of collecting patients’ experience information for improving MPE management.