The concept of hope can be elusive for those facing a cancer diagnosis. In the Center for Communication in Medicine’s (CCM) video Voices from the Lived World of Illness we hear Adrienne Barnes say, “Hope is different from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day…” She is telling us what one “hopes for” […]
Holding Them Up
When facing a cancer diagnosis, you quickly learn who shows up and who retreats. The impact of illness on relationships was one of the topics discussed with four cancer patients in the Center for Communication in Medicine’s video “Voices from the Lived World of Illness.” As producers of the video, psychologist Dr. Bernard Bandman and […]
It Might Be Otherwise
I’ve always been drawn to Jane Kenyon’s poem “Otherwise.” Her words help me to stop and reflect upon what’s happening in the moment. How often do we not pay attention and appreciate the little things in our daily lives? Kenyon wrote, “I got out of bed on two strong legs. It might have been […]
Injecting Humanism Into Medicine
I had the good fortune of working with the late Dr. James Wallace, the first oncologist in the State of Vermont, who came out of retirement to practicing part-time at the cancer center in Bennington. He would talk about the early days at the National Institute of Health (NIH) when chemotherapy was mostly experimental. In passing, he told me that a colleague at that time was Dr. Sidney Farber, the name attached to Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. While at NIH he worked with pioneers in the new field of oncology.
Can Telling Stories Help?
In a New Yorker article “Why Storytelling Is Part Of Being A Good Doctor” (July 25, 2022) Dr. Jerome Groopman confides, “For two decades, I had seen my patients and their loved ones face some of life’s most uncertain moments, and I now felt driven to bear witness to their stories.” He tells us how he felt inspired to write about his experiences as a doctor as had others before him.
On Being A Patient Revisited
I often think of my dear friend Brian Gawlik who had been managing his illness for over a decade when we interviewed him in 2008 for our Speak Sooner newsletter (before I began writing a blog for the website). I continue to be inspired by his wise words.
When Illness Changes Our Future
I recently discovered an email from Dr. Zail Berry, a physician with expertise in internal medicine, palliative care and Hospice. Several years ago, we had asked her to review SpeakSooner: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations, a tool I developed to help patients identify questions and concerns. Dr. Berry’s comments were especially important because of how often our materials and programs to improve doctor-patient communication have only been associated with cancer care, not other serious illnesses.
Impact of Words
I recently discovered a copy of Doctor-Patient Magazine from fall 2005 in which I was interviewed about my role as a medical humanist at Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center. The article’s byline was “Bridging the Gap.” I spoke about the different languages used by doctors and patients, noting that one is the talk of treatment […]
Patients as Teachers
I’ve often been asked if our programs to improve doctor-patient communication have been incorporated into medical education. I can tell you that over the years we presented the Center for Communication in Medicine’s medical humanism work at Brown Medical School, New York University Medical School, University of Vermont College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Stanford Medical Center. It was certainly flattering to receive these invitations but we also learned something that helped shape our organization’s thinking in developing programs to bridge the communication divide between doctors and patients. Time and again we heard faculty and students talk about the challenges of incorporating communication skills training in curriculums that were already saturated with medical science courses and clinical training. I’d like to share some of what we learned.
In Illness…Words Give Out a Scent
“In illness…words give out their scent… at last we grasp the meaning, it is all having come to us sensually first, by way of the palate and the nostril…” Virginia Woolf, “On Being Ill” (1930) Taped to my telephone receiver is a message. Under ‘reason for call’, the word “Urgent” is checked. I […]