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a timely medical meeting newsletter
IMPROVING DOCTOR-PATIENT COMMUNICATION
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A. Gaisser, MD, Cancer Information Service, Heidelberg, Germany,
in cooperation with a group of experts in cancer care devised
and tested three brochures for improving the dialogue between
doctor and cancer patient. One brochure covers current treatment
options and another focuses on individual types of cancer. The
third brochure is a more comprehensive version for the physician.
This method for information sharing could prove helpful in other
diseases. (See related report of Redmond in this issue of Conrad
Notes).
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| The German cancer information service (KID) |
About 43% of the requests in 1996 came after the patient's
first treatment. Other inquiries arrived at the time of diagnosis
(12.6%), initial therapy (19.9%), and recurrence (20.6%).
Further analysis showed that 65.3% of the queries dealt with
cancer therapy, another 15.7% with aftercare, and 14.1% with
diagnosis. These data illustrate the cancer patient's need for
earlier information.
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| Information on cancer and treatments |
One brochure introduces the patient to evidence-based treatment
options and is not disease specific. The publication describes
the standard, experimental, and unconventional therapies that
are currently available. Other useful information on counselling
groups and organizations for cancer care appears in this
brochure's appendix. Separate brochures cover the individual
types of cancer. The attending physician personally presents
both brochures to each patient. This stresses the importance of
the brochures as an information resource for the patient and an
aid in communicating with the doctor.
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| The physician's brochure |
This version goes beyond what is given to the patient. The
brochure contains greater detail by including additional
scientific material for responding to patient questions. Also,
motivations and coping styles are covered to help the doctor
deal with these aspects of cancer.
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| Comments | As stated by Gaisser, "A satisfactory doctor-patient relationship strongly depends on the quality of communication about the disease, especially in the case of chronic illness such as cancer." The development of the three brochures seeks to improve communication. This is an important step in assuring better treatment compliance and the overall doctor-patient relationship. Further study is needed to assess the acceptance of the three brochures by patients and physicians. Also, queries submitted to KID during the coming months merit analysis to determine the impact of the new program. |
For professional correspondence, please contact Dr. Gaisser by Fax at: 49 6221 40 1806
Presented at The European Cancer Conference (ECCO 9), September
14-18, 1997
Copyright © 1997 Conrad Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Eugene A. Conrad, PhD, MPH / ISSN 1078-2230 / November 1997
Send comments to: ConradNote@aol.com
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