Showing posts with label oncology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oncology. Show all posts
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The Empowered Patient - Shared Decision Making: Should I Have a Stem Cell Transplant?
In my The Empowered Patient column in the January 15th issue of MPNforum, I provide some thoughts about the difficult decision that people with myelofibrosis face regarding having a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. See: The Empowered Patient - Stem Cell Transplant
Monday, April 16, 2012
Strategy #6 for Empowerment - Connect with Others
See the 1 year anniversary issue of MPNforum for my latest The Empowered Patient column: http://mpnforum.com/the-empowered-patient-connect-with-others/
MPNforum is an online magazine that features news, interviews and stories on topics of interest to people with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. My contribution to the May, 2012 issue focuses on the benefits of connecting with others through online magazines, support pages and listserves. Experiencing and expressing empathy are among the most valuable aspects of contributing to and participating in these online resources and sites.
MPNforum is an online magazine that features news, interviews and stories on topics of interest to people with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. My contribution to the May, 2012 issue focuses on the benefits of connecting with others through online magazines, support pages and listserves. Experiencing and expressing empathy are among the most valuable aspects of contributing to and participating in these online resources and sites.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
New post in The Empowered Patient on Informed Decision Making
See the latest "The Empowered Patient" column in the January issue of MPN Forum, an online magazine that features stories and news about myeloproliferative neoplasms. In my column, I share personal experiences with shared decision making and offer some background information about the process of informed medical decision making.
The column can be found at: www.mpnforum.com/the-empowered-patient-january/. You can find a link to MPN Forum in my favorites on the right side of this page.
I have added a link to the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making in my favorites as well. Check it out for excellent information and news.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
An Oncologist's Experience with his Spouse's Cancer
It has been a while since I posted. I was inspired to place an entry here after reading the last in a series of New York Times blog posts by Peter Bach, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center about his and his wife's experience with her cancer diagnosis and treatment. I highly recommend this series, as well as the comments posed by readers. See below for the comment I posted to the NYT blog:
"Thanks to Dr. B, and his wife, for being so willing to share their experience with us, in such a public way. Dr. Bach's openness and honesty, his efforts to be reflective and mindful, and his capacity to use his insights and learning to improve his caring for patients, is both instructive and inspiring.
As a medical educator, I have encouraged students to learn from the experiences of patients and their caregivers. They are our most valuable teachers. Hearing first hand about the emotional, physical, interpersonal and spiritual challenges of having an illness helps us to learn what patients and their loved-ones need. Learning about their experience also provides opportunities to respond with empathy and compassion, as well as with treatments, resources and services that might be available to help tthem to manage and cope. If we don't have the skills or capacity to respond ourselves, we can refer patients and their caregivers to colleagues or to valuable services and programs in the community, including those provided by other patients and peers. Yet, as many others have commented, too many clinicians feel unprepared to both uncover these needs, or respond effectively. This must change. Hopefully, Dr. B and other enlightened faculty will continue to help future students to develop competencies in clinician-patient communication, compassionate care, patient activation and self-management support.
As Dr. B has demonstrated, we can also learn valuable lessons from those clinicians who are willing to share their personal experiences with us, however painful. Thanks again for sharing his story and providing an opportunity to learn from all those commenting here. I join others wishing Dr. B. and his wife well. I also want to second the recommendation made by another reader about Rachel Remen's books, Kitchen Table Wisdom, and My Grandfather's Blessings. Rachel is a physician who epitomizes the skills associated with compassionate relationship-centered healing. She is also a fabulous writer and storyteller."
Michael
"Thanks to Dr. B, and his wife, for being so willing to share their experience with us, in such a public way. Dr. Bach's openness and honesty, his efforts to be reflective and mindful, and his capacity to use his insights and learning to improve his caring for patients, is both instructive and inspiring.
As a medical educator, I have encouraged students to learn from the experiences of patients and their caregivers. They are our most valuable teachers. Hearing first hand about the emotional, physical, interpersonal and spiritual challenges of having an illness helps us to learn what patients and their loved-ones need. Learning about their experience also provides opportunities to respond with empathy and compassion, as well as with treatments, resources and services that might be available to help tthem to manage and cope. If we don't have the skills or capacity to respond ourselves, we can refer patients and their caregivers to colleagues or to valuable services and programs in the community, including those provided by other patients and peers. Yet, as many others have commented, too many clinicians feel unprepared to both uncover these needs, or respond effectively. This must change. Hopefully, Dr. B and other enlightened faculty will continue to help future students to develop competencies in clinician-patient communication, compassionate care, patient activation and self-management support.
As Dr. B has demonstrated, we can also learn valuable lessons from those clinicians who are willing to share their personal experiences with us, however painful. Thanks again for sharing his story and providing an opportunity to learn from all those commenting here. I join others wishing Dr. B. and his wife well. I also want to second the recommendation made by another reader about Rachel Remen's books, Kitchen Table Wisdom, and My Grandfather's Blessings. Rachel is a physician who epitomizes the skills associated with compassionate relationship-centered healing. She is also a fabulous writer and storyteller."
Michael
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