Cancer is an especially frightening disease. To “catch it early” we have come to rely on screening tests such as a mammogram, PSA, and colonoscopy. Whether a physician recommends a test or we learn about it through advertisements, we have come to believe that early detection will significantly increase life expectancy. Yet, a recent article […]
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace My Doctor?
There is little doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to have a profound effect on healthcare delivery. This technology has the potential to improve medical diagnoses and treatment planning. AI can also generate documentation for medical records and save time, something that is at a premium in the medical world. The role of […]
We’re All Confused
There are no rules for proper behavior, conversation or actions when there’s an advancement of a serious illness and no viable treatment options. Patients can find themselves confused when trying to communicate with family and friends about a dire prognosis and an uncertain future. This brings to mind what a friend with advanced breast cancer […]
No Recognizable Guideposts
In a 1988 Village Voice article “The Land of The Sick,” Paul Cowan spoke of his experience of illness and declared, “It is a world that has its own language, its own geography, its own authority figures and its own calendar dictated by the changes in one’s body or by results of medical tests–most of […]
Waiting for…
In my work as a medical humanist, I would often hear cancer patients talk about anxiously waiting for appointments, test results and possible side effects of treatments, as if these were common experiences in medical care. With these concerns in mind, I offered patients in my Writing is Good Medicine program an exercise on “waiting,” […]
Line of Sight
I have found that many patients feel the need to protect their loved ones from hearing about the physical and emotional ordeal of living with serious illness. An example of this dynamic emerged in the video that accompanies SpeakSooner: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations where Laura Byrne tells us, “I don’t want anyone to […]
One Door Closes, Another Opens
I recently discovered an article I wrote titled “A Medical Humanist Says Good-bye” that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 9, 2008). It recounted the role of medical humanist I created at the cancer center in Bennington, Vermont and the position coming to an end. Included in the article was […]
Who’s This For?
In the video accompanying SpeakSooner: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations we hear Fritz, who’s living with advanced prostate cancer, acknowledge that the rewards of continuing treatment more than exceed the risks but understands that there are no guarantees. He states that he and his wife decide together “to do whatever my physician thought was […]
Tell Me How to Do It
Dying is one of the most difficult subjects for patients and loved ones to talk about. It can also be uncomfortable for healthcare providers who may not be able to evaluate a patient’s willingness to face end-of-life care decisions. In a series of video interviews, I asked patients their thoughts about dying. Adrienne tells […]
Who Am I Doing This For?
In the video that accompanies SpeakSooner: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations, we hear Fritz acknowledge that the rewards of continuing treatment more than exceed the risks but he recognizes there are no guarantees. Living with advanced prostate cancer, Fritz states that he and his wife decide together “to do whatever my physician thought was […]