Navigation Links
10 ways to make better decisions about cancer care
Date:9/20/2011

ANN ARBOR, Michigan -- Talking with doctors about cancer and cancer treatments can feel like learning a new language, and people facing cancer diagnoses often need help to understand their treatment options, and the risks and benefits of each choice.

"People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," says Angela Fagerlin, Ph.D, associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher.

Fagerlin and colleagues have published a commentary in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that outlines 10 things health care professionals can do to improve the way they communicate information about treatment risks to patients. Here, they explain how patients can tap into these same best practices to become fluent in the language of cancer care and better understand their options.

1. Insist on plain language. If you don't understand something your doctor says, ask him or her to explain it better. "Doctors don't know when patients don't understand them. They want patients to stop them and ask questions," says Fagerlin, who is also a research scientist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Center.

2. Focus on the absolute risk. The most important statistic to consider is the chance that something will happen to you. "It's important that patients and doctors know how to communicate these numbers, and patients need to have the courage to ask their doctor to present it so they can understand," Fagerlin says.

Sometimes, the effect of cancer treatments is described using language like, "This drug will cut your risk in half." But, such relative risk statements don't tell you anything about how likely this is. Research
'/>"/>

Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine news :

1. Autism-Related Hypersensitivity Better Understood
2. Developing guidelines for better reporting of health research
3. Hawaiian-shirt.net Offers 10 Tips To Beat The Winter Blues: Things You Can Do Right Now to Have a Better Day
4. Better care at any hour for palliative patients
5. Patients Do Better at Hospitals That Follow Stroke Guidelines
6. More Expensive Hospital Care May Not Mean Better
7. New MRI May Lead to Better Brain Pictures
8. Biological clock could be a key to better health, longer life
9. Why do physicians order costly CTs? Ultrasound yields better diagnosis, safer, less costly
10. BetterInvesting Magazine Releases May Stock to Study and Undervalued Stock Choices for Investors Informational and Educational Use
11. New approach to immune cell analysis seen as first step to better distinguish health and disease
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 Da Vinci surgical ... a trial in Washington State May 23, according to ... in surgical robot lawsuits , expresses disappointment in ... Vinci lawsuits to not read a single verdict as ... (Estate of Fred E. Taylor v. Intuitive Surgical Inc.; ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... News) -- People who eat at fast-food restaurants are ... teens are the worst offenders, a new study found. ... meals by as much as 34 percent, parents of ... adults by as much as 20 percent," study lead ... from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helped fund ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013 “Talk. They Hear You.” a ... parents to talk to children as young as nine ... launched today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health ... conjunction with SAMHSA’s 2013 National Prevention Week—an annual health ... substance abuse and mental health issues. , SAMHSA’s latest ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... drug about to be tested in a clinical trial ... treatment for Alzheimer,s disease has failed to work with ... patients, according to results of a study by University ... of neuroscience affiliated with the Evelyn F. and William ... emphasized the importance of verifying promising research results before ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... New York, New York (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 ... products manufactured by C.R. Bard, Inc., continue to move ... District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, Bernstein Liebhard ... 17th, the Court denied a request by C.R. Bard ... claimed would reveal trade secrets and other confidential, proprietary ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Da Vinci Surgical Robot Lawsuit News: Rottenstein Law Group LLP Comments on Intuitive Win in Negligent Training Trial 2Health News:How Many Calories in Your Fast-Food Meal? Guess Again 2Health News:New Campaign to Help Parents Talk to Younger Children About the Dangers of Underage Drinking 2Health News:Anti-cancer drug viewed as possible Alzheimer's treatment doesn't work in UF study 2Health News:Anti-cancer drug viewed as possible Alzheimer's treatment doesn't work in UF study 3Health News:Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits Move Forward, as Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes New Order in Federal C.R. Bard Mesh Implant Lawsuits 2Health News:Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits Move Forward, as Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes New Order in Federal C.R. Bard Mesh Implant Lawsuits 3
... Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS ) ... pay a cash dividend of $0.08 per share on ... June 1, 2009.Universal Health Services, Inc. is one of ... acute care and behavioral health hospitals, and ambulatory centers ...
... New grants will serve communities in outstate Minnesota ... of Directors approved four regional grants dedicated to ... and policy advocacy. The grants will provide resources ... new grant awards show our continuing commitment to ...
... Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical ... million in a second Series A financing extension ... was again led by Vivo Ventures. This capital ... development activities and strategic business objectives."Sagent,s business model ...
... The American Association for Homecare supports expanded anti-fraud efforts ... and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ... two agencies outlined plans for expanding anti-fraud strike forces ... Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team. Even ...
... dialysis patients, quality of life, study says , , WEDNESDAY, ... and the anti-clotting drug dipyridamole reduces blockages and extends ... for kidney dialysis, new research has found. , When ... stenosis -- a narrowing of blood vessels -- at ...
... to flu variant that circulated before 1957 , , WEDNESDAY, May ... immunity to the new H1N1 swine flu virus because of ... 1957, a U.S. infectious-disease expert said Wednesday. , "The further ... to have been exposed to H1N1 virus back before 1957, ...
Cached Medicine News:Health News:ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Board Approves Four Regional Grants 2Health News:American Association for Homecare Supports Expanded Federal Efforts by DOJ and HHS to Combat Medicare Fraud 2Health News:American Association for Homecare Supports Expanded Federal Efforts by DOJ and HHS to Combat Medicare Fraud 3Health News:American Association for Homecare Supports Expanded Federal Efforts by DOJ and HHS to Combat Medicare Fraud 4Health News:Drug Combo Keeps Kidney Artery-Vein Grafts Viable 2Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 2Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 3Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 4Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 5Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 6Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 7Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 8Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 9Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 10Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 11Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 12Health News:Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu 13
(Date:5/23/2013)...  TeamHealth Medical Call Center (THMCC), a premier ... lines, announces its newly formed Clinical Advisory Committee. ... leaders, provides clinical expertise to advance THMCC,s purpose ... hospital clients, physician clients and patients. ... imperative to continuously advance our services and improve ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... -- More than half of women diagnosed with early ... still have excellent outcomes. To educate women, Agendia, Inc. ... sources of online consumer information about breast cancer genomic ... recently diagnosed women with information sources, to help them ... "We anticipate these innovative social media campaigns will encourage ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Calif. , May 23, 2013 Anthem ... program that would have required them to obtain their ... by Consumer Watchdog and Whatley Kallas LLC.  ... Superior Court, alleged that Blue Cross,s mandatory mail order ... threatening their health and privacy. "This settlement ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:TeamHealth Medical Call Center Forms Clinical Advisory Committee 2Agendia Launches Social Media Campaigns to Help Breast Cancer Patients with Chemotherapy Decisions 2Agendia Launches Social Media Campaigns to Help Breast Cancer Patients with Chemotherapy Decisions 3Blue Cross To Allow HIV/AIDS Patients to "Opt-Out" of Mandatory Mail-Order Rx Drug Program, Announces Consumer Watchdog 2Blue Cross To Allow HIV/AIDS Patients to "Opt-Out" of Mandatory Mail-Order Rx Drug Program, Announces Consumer Watchdog 3
... Dec. 13, 2011 More than 60,000 young children ... into medicine while their parents or caregivers were not ... of safe medicine storage, the Centers for Disease Control ... (CHPA) Educational Foundation, in partnership with the PROTECT ...
... 2011 Mirixa Corporation, the leader in pharmacy-based patient ... has joined the company as Vice President of Sales ... sales team and develop strategic partner relationships.  ... most recently served as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships ...
Cached Medicine Technology:CDC and CHPA Educational Foundation Launch Up and Away and Out of Sight 2CDC and CHPA Educational Foundation Launch Up and Away and Out of Sight 3Mirixa Names New VP of Sales and Business Development 2
Used in conjunction with the E5381 700 Circling Band (240 style). Indications: Narrow scleral bed. Overall length: 100 mm, 3.9 inches....
Used in conjunction with the E5381 600 Circling Band (40 style). Indications: Massive retinal breaks. Inner diameter: 26 mm....
Used in conjunction with the E5381 600 Circling Band (40 style). Indications: Narrow scleral bed. Overall length: 100 mm, 3.9 inches....
...
Medicine Products: