Lisa Barbarotta Answers: What Do Patients Want to Know about Myelodysplastic Syndrome?

Lisa Barbarotta, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCNS, of Smilow Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital, talks about how difficult it can be to explain myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to patients who may never have heard about the condition before.

MDS is complicated and rare, the diagnosis often involving complex genetic information. It can be difficult to explain these conditions to patients. However, surveys have narrowed down the information that patients most want: the characteristics of their disease, their prognosis, and the expectations and goals of their treatments. Focusing on these topics can help to give patients the information that they need.