Professor Phyllis Butow

	Professor Phyllis Butow PhD (Sydney University)
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Research Interests

My research interests are within the field of Health Psychology, including psychological impact of disease, factors influencing coping and adjustment to disease, evaluation of health services, health education and behavioural interventions, measurement, evaluation and interventions within health professional-patient communication, predictors of treatment compliance, psychometric measurement and test development,. Specific areas include:

1). Interaction analysis of doctor-patient communication
2). Evaluation of strategies to improve doctor-patient communication, including the provision of question prompt lists, letters summarising the consultation, audiotapes of the consultation and decision aids
3). Methodological issues in patient education and doctor-patient communication
4). Evaluation of the impact on doctor and patient outcomes of communication skills training
5). Impact of psychosocial factors on health outcomes in melanoma and breast cancer
6). Impact of informal and formal support networks on quality of life and use of formal services in patients with metastatic cancer.
7). Impact of genetic testing and counseling on women at high risk of developing breast cancer and those with breast cancer
8). Development of guidelines in communicating risk and prognosis to women with breast cancer

Involvement in Research Grants

• 1991-1993: Dunn, Coates & Butow; National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Psychosocial predictors of outcome in breast cancer and melanoma patients. 1991: $45,675; 1992: $50,699; 1993: $51,432
• 1990-1991: Dunn, Tattersall & Butow; NSW State Cancer Council. Strategies to promote patient participation and recall of information in the oncology consultation. 1990: $25,000; 1991: $25,000
• 1990-1991: Dunn, Tattersall & Butow; Leo and Jenny Leukaemia and Cancer Foundation. Strategies to promote patient participation and recall of information in the oncology consultation. 1990: $5,000; 1991: $5,000
• 1992: Dunn, Tattersall & Butow; NSW State Cancer Council. The process and outcome of oncology consultations. 1992: $5,900
• 1992-1994: Boakes & Tattersall (Butow: Associate Investigator); National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Comparison of treatments for side-effects of chemotherapy for cancer patients. $127,441 total
• 1993-1994: Dunn, Tattersall & Butow; NSW State Cancer Council. Doctor communication and patient denial as a source of misunderstanding in cancer patients. 1993: $41,477; 1994: $41,477
• 1994-1996: Dunn, Coates & Butow; National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Psychosocial predictors of outcome in breast cancer and melanoma patients. 1994: $57,725; 1995: $58,643; 1996: $62,475
• 1995-1997: Dunn, Tattersall & Butow; National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. A randomised trial of oncologist interventions to promote patient understanding. 1995: $73,411; 1996: $74,585; 1997: $36,397
• 1995-1996: Dunn, Tattersall (Butow: Associate Investigator); University of Sydney Cancer Research Fund. Reducing the impact of a cancer diagnosis. 1995: $41,292; 1996: $38,898
• 1995: Boyer, Dunn (Butow: Associate Investigator); NSW Department of Health Customer Focus Initiative Funding. Why do cancer patients use unproven therapies. 1995: $9,467
• 1996-1997: Dunn, Butow & Boyer; National Health and Medical Research Council (PHRDC). Improving communication in the cancer consultation: Optimal strategies and empirical outcomes. $1996: $75,606; 1997: $75,107
• 1996-1997: Tattersall & Butow; NSW Cancer Council Patient Care Award. Preferred information content of letters from oncologists to referring doctors and to patients. 1996: $26,933; 1997: $28,388
• 1995-1996: Solomon, Findlay & Butow; Johnson & Johnson Medical; Smith & Nephew Richards Pty Ltd; Auto Suture Co., Australia. Patient preference trial for colorectal cancer. 1995: $39,500
• 1996: Butow P; National Breast Cancer Centre. Psychosocial predictors of the development of breast cancer. 1996: $7888
• 1996-1997: Butow, Tattersall M & Girgis. National Breast Cancer Centre. Development of guidelines for the communication of information about prognosis to women with breast cancer. 1996: $20,000; 1997: $5,000; 1997: $10,000
• 1997-1999: Tucker, Butow, Friedlander & Schnieden; National Health and Medical Research Council. Psychological impact of genetic services on women with a family history of breast cancer. 1997: $43,726: 1998: $41,914; 1999: $43,602
• 1997-1999: Tattersall, Butow, Dunn & Levi; National Health and Medical Research Council. Cancer patient education and role modelling for clinical decisions. 1997: $97, 795; 1998: $101,010; 1999: $102,620
• 1997-1999: Dunn, Coates & Butow; National Health and Medical Research Council. Psychological interventions to improve survival and quality of life in melanoma patients. 1997: $130,883; 1998: $135,827; 1999: $140,765
• 1997-1998: Butow, Spruyt & McConnell; NSW State Cancer Council. A prospective analysis of support networks and service needs in patients with metastatic cancer. 1997: $25,130; 1998: $25,130
• 1997-1998: Butow, Tattersall & Dunn; NSW State Cancer Council. Computer-based interaction and content analysis of cancer consultations: the development and validation of evidence-based guidelines for consultation behaviours. 1997: $28,203; 1998: $28,203
• 1998-1999: Butow, Tucker, Meiser & Barrett; University of Sydney Cancer Research Fund. Genetic counselling of women from high risk breast cancer families: a randomised trial of audiotape provision and interactive analysis. 1998: $50,000; 1999: $50,000
• 1998: Tattersall, Dunn & Brown (Butow, Associate Investigator); University of Sydney Cancer Research Fund. Can audiotape analyses of the cancer consultation detect changes in verbal and non-verbal communication by doctors? 1998: $50,000
• 1998: Renwick, Butow, Tattersall, Gillette, Pendlebury & Brown; Sydney Breast Cancer Research Institute. An investigation of multidisciplinary consultation on treatment decisions in early breast cancer management. 1998: $99,850
• 1998: Renwick & Butow; Sydney Breast Cancer Research Institute. Comparison of surgical, medical and radiation oncology communication of absolute and comparative risk to women with breast cancer. 1998: $2,100
• 1999: Butow P, Lobb E, Tattersall M.; The development of guidelines for the communication of information about prognosis to women with metastatic breast cancer. National Breast Cancer Centre. 1999: $8,000
• 1999-2000: Butow P, Tattersall MHN, Little M, Brown R, Ellis P.; Presenting clinical trial information: The impact of training doctors in ethical communication. National Health and Medical Research Council. 1999: $ 58,151; 2000: $47,648
• 26.Koh. T, Butow P, Whitehall J, Tattersall MHN. Providing parents in NICUs with consultation audiotapes: a randomised trial. North Queensland Regional Research Project Grant. 1999: $93,388; 2000: $87,879
• 27.Tucker K, Butow P, Friedlander M, Meiser B, Schnieden V, Barratt A; The impact of genetic testing for breast cancer predisposition on psychological adjustment and breast-cancer related health behaviours. NHMRC. 2000: $46,851; 2001: $46,195
• 28.Salkeld G, Solomon M, Butow P, Short L, Ward J; Measuring patient preferences for treatment of colorectal cancer using discrete choice modeling NHMRC. 2000: $55,717; 2001: $55,717; 2002: $55,717
• Tattersall MHN, Boyer M, Butow P.; Preparing cancer patients for clinical decision making: A randomised trial of pre-consultation packages. NHMRC. 2000: $ 44,551, 2001: $67,561, 2002: 67561
• 30.Butow P, Tattersall MHN, Elllis P, Pendlebury S. Lobb E. Discussing prognosis and treatment goals with patients with metastatic cancer; evidence-based strategies. NSWCC Project Grant. 2000: $60,106; 2001: $108,873
• 31.Tattersall MHN, Thompson JF, (Butow PN, Associate Investigator)
o Promoting an improved format and content in letters from oncologists to referring doctors. USCRF. 2000: $50,000
• 32.Butow P, Hickie I, Tennant C, Tucker K, Berry G, Phillips K. Project grant: Psychosocial predictors of of developing breast cancer in women from high risk breast cancer families. NHMRC #153824. 2001: $106, 632; 2002: $106,632; 2003: $106,632
• 33.Barratt A, Butow P, Houssami N, Redman S, Salkeld G. Consumer information materials and a communication aid for diagnostic tests for breast cancer. NHMRC #153807. 2001: $80,229; 2002: $47,557; 2003: $58,807
• 34.Butow P, Coates AS, Tattersall AS, Brown R. Communicating about clinical trials and treatment options; A randomised controlled trial of a consultation skills training package. National Breast Cancer Foundation. 2001 $89,000; 2002: $99,000
• 35.Butow P, Barratt A, Tucker K, Kirk J, Moore, Butt D, Lobb L. A communication tool to facilitate risk communication in consultations with women from high risk breast cancer families. USCRF. 2001: $50,000, 2002: $50,000
• Clayton J, Butow P, Chye R, Tattersall MHN. Development and preliminary evaluation of a question prompt sheet for palliative care patients and their carers.
• Palliative Care Association of NSW (Waddington Prize). $5,000
• 37.Jill Cockburn, Phyllis Butow, Martin Tattersall, Afaf Girgis, C Doran. Improving outcomes for people with cancer: consultation. Skills-training with oncologists. NHMRC #209804. 2002 $211,150; 2003:$194,058; 2004:$101,760.
• 38.Butow P, Tattersall MHN, Hagerty R University of Sydney. Communicating prognosis to patients with metastatic cancer: a patient-based intervention. SESQUI grant. 2002: $40,710
• 39.Butow P. NHMRC Senior Fellowship (level B) 2002-2006. $105,000 per year.
• 40.Martin Tattersall, Phyllis Butow, Natasha Leighl, Michael Boyer. (Associate investigators Stephen Clarke, AlexanA/Prof A Barratt, Jane Beith, Anne Sullivan). When the treatment goal is not cure: a randomized trial of decision aids in patients with incurable metastatic cancer NSWCC: 2002 $137,500; 2003 $160,000; 2004 $118,500
• Jane Ussher, Phyllis Butow, Gerard Wain2, Kim Hobbs, Katherine Smith, Annie Stenlake. Research into the Relationship Between Type of Organisation and Effectiveness of Voluntary Support Groups for Cancer Patients and Their Carers.
• NSWCC. 2002: $82,838; 2003-4 $82,838
• M Tattersall, M Boyer, P Butow, P Glare, M Jackson, J Hall, M Stockler. Early referral to palliative care; A randomised trial of patietns with metastatic cancer and a survival of less than 12 months. NHMRC Strategic Palliative Care Grants. 2002: $75,000
• 43.Butow P, Tattersall MHN, Hagerty R. Facilitating discussion of prognosis in patients with metastatic cancer; A randomized controlled trial of a question prompt sheet. SESQUI (University of Sydney). 2003: $50,000
• 44.Butow P, Coates AS, Tattersall AS, Brown R. Communicating about clinical trials and treatment options; A randomised controlled trial of a consultation skills training package. National Breast Cancer Foundation. 2003 $89,000
• 45.Butow P, Solomon M, Salkeld G, Young J. Weighing up the options for adjuvant therapy; Development and pilot-testing of a decision aid for early stage rectal cancer patients. EHA NSW Dept of Health. 2003-4: $10,000
• 46.White, K., Butow, P., & Saunders, C. Randomised Controlled Trial of Nurse Led Education Intervention on Sexuality and Body Image for Women with Breast Cancer. Cancer Foundation of WA. 2004: $54,326.00
• 46.White, K., Butow, P., Yates, P., & Saunders, C. Randomised Controlled Trial of Nurse Led Education Intervention on Sexuality and Body Image for Women with Breast Cancer. National Breast Cancer Foundation. 2004: $97,000 2005: $88,000
• 47.Butow P, Tennant C, Tucker K, Meiser B, Hickie I, Phillips K, Lo SK. Psychosocial predictors of developing breast cancer in women from high risk breast cancer families NHMRC #301930 Project grant. 2004: $195,688; 2005: $195,688; 2006: $195,688
• 48.Butow P, Salkeld G. (Associate investigators, Michael Solomon, Jane Young, George Hruby, Martin Tattersall. Is information about patient preferences a useful adjunct to a decision aid for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. SESQUI fund (Uni of Sydney). 2004: $18,260
• 49.NHMRC #307630 Clayton J, Butow P, Tattersall M, Currow D. Palliative Care Project grant. Discussing prognosis & end-of-life issues in palliative care; current practice & development of an evidence based training program. 2005: $72,415, 2006: $77,540.

Submitted in 2004:

• 1.NHMRC #301925. Butow, P, Solomon M, Salkeld G, Tattersall MHN, Rhuby G, Young J. Project Grant, A randomised trial of a decision aid in the management of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. 2005-$101,100; 2006: $106,100; 2007: $106,100
• 2.NHMRC # 302080 Project grant. Tattersall MHN, Butow P. Project grant. Enhancing oncologists' consutlation skills in evidence based shared decision making. 2004:$130,750; 2005:$133,750; 2006:$173,500; 2007:$180,000; 2008:$106,500
• 3.NHMRC #301931 Butow, Forbes, Coates, Boyle, McCarthy, Brown. Project Grant. A randomised trial of a decision aid for women invited to participate in the prevention trial IBIS-2. 2004: $115,450; 2005: $110,450; 2006: $90,450
• 4.NHMRC # 352301 McCaffery K, Trevena L, Barratt A, Butow P, Simpson J, Nutbeam D. Project grant. Assessing the effectiveness of a literacy-sensitive decision aid for adults eligible to have colorectal cancer screening. 2005: $91,527; 2006: $256,674, 2007 $73,650.
• 5.Butow P, Forbes J, Coates A, Boyle F, McCarthy N, Brown R. Project Grant. A randomised trial of a decision aid for women invited to participate in the prevention trial IBIS-2. NBCF 2005-2007
• 6.Butow P, Webb P, Tennant C, Price M, Juraskova I, Lo SK. Quality of life and psychosocial predictors of outcome in a population based study of ovarian cancer. Multistate Cancer Councail Application. 2005: $202,484; 2006: $200,984; 2005: $130,106