Introduction Providing audio recordings of their own medical encounters to patients has shown promising benefits in addressing information needs of patients. It can aid the recall of medical information and thus contribute to patient-centeredness and shared decision-making. This intervention is explored globally, but limited research pertains to Germany. This study aimed to examine German cancer patients’ attitudes and experiences towards this intervention.

Methods Semi-structured interviews with cancer patients were conducted to inform the development of the nationwide cross-sectional quantitative survey. The survey assessed the participants’ attitudes, experiences and desire for this intervention. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and subgroup analyses were conducted.

Results 287 cancer patients participated in the survey. Most of the participants expressed positive attitudes (n=265, 92%) and agreed with expected benefits of the intervention (e.g. improved recall, n=282, 98%; helpful in making treatment decisions, n=260, 91%). Participants also agreed to concerns regarding a possible negative shift in the openness of the physicians, but to a lesser degree (n=159, 55%). Only a small percentage (n=15, 5%) reported on having experiences with this intervention and most (n=266, 92%) would be interested in having audio recordings of their medical encounters in the future.

Discussion Our findings align with international research, particularly in regard to the positive attitudes of patients, but limited experiences with this intervention. Participants highly valued the benefits of this intervention, but it is evident that the potential of this intervention is underused in the German cancer care.

Conclusion This study is a first step in understanding the potential of this intervention for cancer patients in Germany. We acknowledge the possibility of a positive bias in our findings, but conclude that this study lays the foundation for its further evaluation in the German healthcare setting.