Open AccessApproaching Difficult Communication Tasks in Oncology 1
Author(s) -
Back Anthony L.,
Arnold Robert M.,
Baile Walter F.,
Tulsky James A.,
FryerEdwards Kelly
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
ca: a cancer journal for clinicians
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 62.937
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1542-4863
pISSN - 0007-9235
DOI - 10.3322/canjclin.55.3.164
Subject(s) - ask price , communication skills , psychology , collusion , medicine , medical education , economy , economics , microeconomics
Effective communication skills enable physicians to improve patients' understanding of their illnesses, improve patient adherence to treatment regimens, use time efficiently, avoid burnout, and increase professional fulfillment. Common communication pitfalls include blocking, lecturing, depending on a routine, collusion, and premature reassurance. Fundamental communication skills include “ask‐tell‐ask,” “tell me more,” and responding empathetically. Key communication tasks that are linked to the illness trajectory include: the first visit, giving bad news, making anticancer treatment decisions, offering clinical trials, completing anticancer therapy, and discontinuing palliative chemotherapy. While enhancing or acquiring new skills ultimately requires practice and feedback over time, this article provides a cognitive map for important communication skills that physicians need over the course of caring for a person with cancer.