Perhaps patients and their physicians should end every exam with the simple phrase, "Here's what I heard you say…" Because neither party seems to be hearing what the other is saying.
The online medical site WebMD surveyed adult patients and physicians to find out what sort of advice doctors were giving patients about cancer prevention. WebMD wanted to know if patients and physicians were actively discussing ways to prevent cancer or spot it early.
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What the survey revealed was that lots of doctors said they raised the topic. But few patients recall the conversation, if it took place, and those who did heard something very different from what their primary care practitioner claims was said to them.
For starters, seven of 10 physicians said they discussed cancer prevention with patients. But only 27 percent of the patients interviewed said they had such a conversation.
What we've got here, as the Captain in the movie "Cool Hand Luke" observed, is failure to communicate. But in this instance, that failure could be fatal.
Let's take a look at the 27 percent who recall having a conversation about cancer and other fatal disease prevention methods with their docs. Nearly seven of 10 physicians said they told their patients to use condoms to prevent diseases related to high-risk sexual behavior. Only 13 percent of patients say they had such a conversation.
Nearly every doctor in the survey said they discussed quitting smoking with their smoker patients. But less than half of the patients say they talked about it.
Only a quarter of patients said their physicians discussed various vaccines that would prevent diseases. But seven in10 doctors said they definitely remember bringing it into the exam room.
Hearing, or listening, improved when it came to the more memorable basics, like colonoscopies and mammograms. Physicians say they discussed them, and patients remember.
The survey also queried patients about what steps they do, or would, take to lower their risk of cancer. Between seven and eight in 10 said they would quit smoking, improve their diet, cut back on the booze, have a wellness exam and get the screenings their doctors recommended.
So apparently someone is speaking and someone is listening at least part of the time patient and physician square off in the little room.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
