Disruptive Women in Health Care » Blog Archive » What Does It Matter to You: Patient Activation and Good Health Outcomes (on attitudes, knowledge, communication and abuse??)

Disruptive Women in Health Care » Blog Archive » What Does It Matter to You: Patient Activation and Good Health Outcomes

Vote: Should Physicians Use Email to Communicate With Patients? - Health Blog - WSJ + comments

Exploring the Interface Between Cancer and Psychiatry - Cancer Network

"As a psychiatrist who has cancer, I have developed a deep understanding of the ways in which our training can help us help patients who find themselves forced to deal with the complicated emotional aspects that accompany this disease. My hope is that my insights will help psychiatrists as they wrestle with the problems that plague their patients who are coping with this difficult disease....."

It's a choice to move forward: women's perceptions about treatment decision making in recurrent ovarian cancer

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This research explores the treatment decision-making (TDM) experiences of women with recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) with regard to treatment options; their understanding of risks and benefits of various treatment options; the decision-making role they want for themselves and for their oncologist; and the social context of the consultation as it pertains to the decision.
METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 women at the time of first recurrence. Through inductive data analysis key themes were identified.
RESULTS: Many women describe self-identifying the cancer recurrence fairly quickly due to new symptoms. Many feel that the goal for treating their recurrence is to control versus cure the cancer. They describe the subsequent process of diagnosis and TDM for ROC as quick and straightforward with all women accepting the oncologists' treatment recommendation. They feel that the type and number of treatment options are limited. They have a strong desire for physician continuity in their care. Participants feel that their doctor's recommendations as well as their previous experience with ovarian cancer are strong factors influencing their current TDM process.
CONCLUSIONS: Shared decision making is based on a simultaneous participation of both the physician and patient in TDM. When faced with ROC, women feel that their doctor's recommendation and their past experience with treatment and TDM are prominent factors influencing the current TDM process.

Comparisons of Patient and Physician Expectations for Cancer Survivorship Care

Purpose: To compare expectations for cancer survivorship care between patients and their physicians and between primary care providers (PCPs) and oncologists.

Conclusion: Patients and physicians have discordant expectations with respect to the roles of PCPs and oncologists in cancer survivorship care. Uncertainties around physician roles and responsibilities can lead to deficiencies in care, supporting the need to make survivorship care planning a standard component in cancer management.