Medscape reported on an article from J Clin Oncol that I thought was most curious:
September 1, 2010 —The use of decision aids by physicians caring for cancer patients is "low", say the authors of a Canadian study.
Only 24% of general surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists in Ontario report using the aids, which are information guides that help patients make choices about cancer treatment.
The study, based on a survey of clinicians, was published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2010;28:2286-2292).
However, in a letter published online August 30 in the journal, a German researcher raises an interesting possibility: that patients might be using decision aids at higher rates.
In other words, patients might be adapting this clinical tool more widely than the doctors who care for them.
I find this fascinating given the availability of such resources as Adjuvant! Online. Research into the possible reasons for this discrepancy would be interesting. Do doctors fear more than patients looking at "hard numbers" and probabilities? or explaining or translating these numbers to patients in a forthright manner? Or does the use of a decision aid somehow "dehumanize" a particular patient--the one sitting on front of you? Your thoughts?
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