Communication Compass – Perspectives
Cancer Care – Communication Compass – Perspectives “You’re lucky,” the oncologist tells his patient with breast cancer. “Your tumor seems to respond well to the hormone therapy. And we still have a lot more possibilities in the future.” “Does that mean that I am going to be cured after all?” the woman asks. After the consultation the doctor sighs: “How is it possible after all the explanations I have given, that the patient still has not understood that this therapy does not have a curative intent?” The first axis in the compass is the axis of perspectives. Who is lucky in the above-mentioned example? It is the doctor who is lucky, because his therapy is working. From the perspective of the patient, being lucky has a completely different meaning. She does not know the doctor’s other patients. For her, being lucky means to be free of cancer. That is how she understands her doctor’s statement. Doctor and patient look at the same situation from a completely different perspective. O...