Cancer, Culture and Communication

The ability to communicate effectively with cancer patients and their family members has been linked to patient satisfaction, reduced psychological morbidity, enhanced health and reduced clinician "burn-out". Yet, despite what we know about the benefits of effective communication, cancer clinicians have only recently begun to receive routine training in the psychosocial and emotional aspects of cancer patient care. This volume creates a multi-disciplinary dialogue about clinician-patient communication. It offers a description of the relevance of culture as a contextual effect that impacts the clinician-patient relationship. Some important topics addressed include: -Oncology care; -Quality of life issues; -Supportive survivorship; -Cultural differences in health care; -Multidisciplinary medical approaches. This book is for physicians, nurses, hospice and palliative care professionals and public health professionals who would like to understand the ways we can improve clinician-patient communication in culturally diverse medical settings. It is also suitable for graduate level courses in medical education, oncology, and health care.