Areej El-Jawahri on Patients' Misconceptions in Cancer Care
Areej El-Jawahri, MD, an oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses how patients with cancer do not often have a full understanding of the terms and processes doctors describe during treatment.
Areej El-Jawahri, MD, an oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses how patients with cancer do not often have a full understanding of the terms and processes doctors describe during treatment.
El-Jawahri explains that this is partially because doctors tend to use different words and medical terms that patients don’t understand and also because so many people watch hospital shows on television that give misconceptions about the the outcomes of processes such as CPR on a patient with cancer.
A recent trial led by El-Jawarhi showed patients videos explaining the process and likely outcomes of CPR. These patients were less likely to prefer CPR and were much more informed about possible medical interventions.
