improving doctor-patient communication

It is of obvious importance for health-care providers to communicate well with patients and their family members. The ONCOTALK faculty at the University of Washington offer a series of teaching modules that are designed to help doctors do just that. Downloadable videos available.

Effectively conveying bad news to patients is particularly important in practicing cancer medicine. In the above video, faculty at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine teach residents how to do this through role playing exercises. The late Robert Buckman, MD, PhD, was instrumental in developing instruction about bad news delivery (see his SPIKE video), as well as about communication sensitivity in general (see a collection of Buckman videos on MD Anderson's Clinical Communication Skills page).

what is colonoscopy?

The standard procedure for detecting colon cancer is colonoscopy, but much of the population has little understanding of what one is and what it involves. These questions and many more are effectively addressed through videos provided by numerous treatment centers and support organizations. Those displayed above were prepared by MD Anderson (see YouTube MD Anderson playlist for "colonoscopy" videos).

young adult colon cancer and Lynch Syndrome

 

Although colon cancer is known as a condition affecting post-50 year old people, it does occasionally occur among younger adults. The top video highlights Candace, a 41 year-old mother of five, whose early symptoms were dismissed by practitioners. The bottom news story addresses the primary genetic basis for early adult colon cancer, Lynch syndrome, as it affected one Ohio family. Also hear a recent interview with MD Anderson's Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, MD, PhD, on the link between genes and colon cancer.

NCCN.com video collection

National Comprehensive Cancer Network, NCCN, is a significant resource for patients, caregivers, and family. Collections of  cancer-patient education videos, many of which are also highly relevant for practitioners, are available at its video center and YouTube channel. In the above clip, an oncologist draws on his own experience as a cancer patient in stressing the importance of the first interview with a new patient.