Thanks to www....& Google,patients have access to so much of information...how do they decide?
Of course you may say "patients depend on their doctors or surgeon to decide what's best for them".Its the doctors responsibility not only to critically study the new technology but also to train themselves to handle it.
It's not unusual to get a patient who demands for a surgery using a particular technique.For example ,I recently had a young boy who wanted tonsillectomy using a particular technique.He aspires to be a singer & his teacher in the U.S.advised this new technique.How much ever I spent time explaining that I was actually involved in a nationwide study in the NHS in the U.K. & shared the outcomes,he was fixed on his idea.He went ahead at another center with this surgery & surprise comes back with all the possible risks explained!!
I have seen patients having similar faith in lasers.I fail to understand from where it's come but they think everything can be operated with laser & it's all bloodless & painless!! Ofcourse lasers are useful for selected conditions & the results are excellent if a particular type of laser is used.
Every new gadget may not be suitable for every patient.It depends on the stage of disease & also patient as well as doctor factors.
I recently came across this article about cancer advertisements in a reputed medical journal.Especially in cancer treatment, there are standard staging systems & treatment is offered according to classification or stage.Few other diseases have such protocol.
Sharing it....
Summaries for Patients
Understanding Cancer Center Advertisements
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
A new diagnosis of cancer can be frightening. Many decisions need to be made, the first of which is usually where to receive care. Throughout the United States, cancer centers are increasingly purchasing magazine and television advertisements aimed directly at patients with the intent of informing them about their centers.
Why did the researchers do this particular study?
To examine television and magazine advertisements placed by cancer centers for information provided about clinical services and the use of emotional advertising appeals and patient testimonials.
What was studied?
Advertisements in the top 269 consumer magazines and in 44 television markets that reached more than 1 million viewers in the United States. However, the researchers could not be sure whether television advertisements were local or national in their distribution.
What did the researchers find?
The advertisements tended to focus on the newest or most innovative treatments offered for particular types of cancer. They often included patient testimonials but did not indicate whether the experience of that patient was typical. In general, the advertisements appealed to a person’s emotions but did not provide more concrete information about benefits and risks of therapy, what other therapies a patient may use, or whether the centers accepted all types of insurance.
What were the limitations of the study?
The study analyzed the advertisements but did not study people watching the advertisements to see how they were affected.
What are the implications of the study?
Although it is natural for patients with a new diagnosis of cancer to look for the best news possible, they should try to view cancer center advertisements as critically as they view any other advertisements. They should not believe that the patient experiences portrayed in such advertisements are typical or that their own experience will be the same. They should choose where they receive cancer care on the basis of all issues important to them, including benefits, risks, and costs
This article was published online first at www.annals.org on
Of course you may say "patients depend on their doctors or surgeon to decide what's best for them".Its the doctors responsibility not only to critically study the new technology but also to train themselves to handle it.
It's not unusual to get a patient who demands for a surgery using a particular technique.For example ,I recently had a young boy who wanted tonsillectomy using a particular technique.He aspires to be a singer & his teacher in the U.S.advised this new technique.How much ever I spent time explaining that I was actually involved in a nationwide study in the NHS in the U.K. & shared the outcomes,he was fixed on his idea.He went ahead at another center with this surgery & surprise comes back with all the possible risks explained!!
I have seen patients having similar faith in lasers.I fail to understand from where it's come but they think everything can be operated with laser & it's all bloodless & painless!! Ofcourse lasers are useful for selected conditions & the results are excellent if a particular type of laser is used.
Every new gadget may not be suitable for every patient.It depends on the stage of disease & also patient as well as doctor factors.
I recently came across this article about cancer advertisements in a reputed medical journal.Especially in cancer treatment, there are standard staging systems & treatment is offered according to classification or stage.Few other diseases have such protocol.
Sharing it....
The full report is titled “What Are
Cancer Centers Advertising to the
Public? A Content Analysis.” It is
in the 17 June 2014 issue of
Annals of Internal Medicine
(volume 160, pages 813-820).
The authors are L.B. Vater,
J.M. Donohue, R. Arnold, D.B. White, E. Chu,
and Y. Schenker.
J.M. Donohue, R. Arnold, D.B. White, E. Chu,
and Y. Schenker.
Understanding Cancer Center Advertisements
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
A new diagnosis of cancer can be frightening. Many decisions need to be made, the first of which is usually where to receive care. Throughout the United States, cancer centers are increasingly purchasing magazine and television advertisements aimed directly at patients with the intent of informing them about their centers.
Why did the researchers do this particular study?
To examine television and magazine advertisements placed by cancer centers for information provided about clinical services and the use of emotional advertising appeals and patient testimonials.
What was studied?
Advertisements in the top 269 consumer magazines and in 44 television markets that reached more than 1 million viewers in the United States. However, the researchers could not be sure whether television advertisements were local or national in their distribution.
What did the researchers find?
The advertisements tended to focus on the newest or most innovative treatments offered for particular types of cancer. They often included patient testimonials but did not indicate whether the experience of that patient was typical. In general, the advertisements appealed to a person’s emotions but did not provide more concrete information about benefits and risks of therapy, what other therapies a patient may use, or whether the centers accepted all types of insurance.
What were the limitations of the study?
The study analyzed the advertisements but did not study people watching the advertisements to see how they were affected.
What are the implications of the study?
Although it is natural for patients with a new diagnosis of cancer to look for the best news possible, they should try to view cancer center advertisements as critically as they view any other advertisements. They should not believe that the patient experiences portrayed in such advertisements are typical or that their own experience will be the same. They should choose where they receive cancer care on the basis of all issues important to them, including benefits, risks, and costs
This article was published online first at www.annals.org on
27 May 2014.
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