Researchers Hope to Analyze What Compassionate Doctors Say

A team of American researchers is studying recorded dialogue by oncologists and studying the context in order to come up with a behavioral taxonomy that can help medical training and education.

Senior investigator Ronald Epstein, M.D., professor of Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Oncology, and Nursing and director of the UR Center for Communication and Disparities Research, and his team recruited 23 oncologists from a variety of private and hospital-based oncology clinics in the Rochester, New York area.

Tumor Markers - For Cancer Diagnosis and Prognosis
An ideal tumor marker for a cancer should be specific to that cancer and not generate false positive results.

The doctors and their stage III or stage IV cancer patients volunteered to be recorded during routine visits. Researchers then analyzed the 49 audio-recorded encounters that took place between November 2011 and June 2012, and looked for key observable markers of compassion.

In contrast to empathy - another quality that Epstein and his colleagues have studied in the medical community-compassion involves a deeper and more active imagination of the patient's condition.

An important part of this study, therefore, was to identify examples of the three main elements of compassion: recognition of suffering, emotional resonance, and movement towards addressing suffering.

About Brain Tumor
Brain tumors are the abnormal growth of brain cells that may be benign or metastatic. Brain tumors account for about 2.4% of all the tumor diagnosesandare most challenging due to their critically delicate location.

Emotional resonance, or a sense of sharing and connection, was illustrated by this dialogue: Patient: "I should just get a room here." Oncologist: "Oh, I hope you don't really feel like you're spending that much time here."

Researchers evaluated tone of voice, animation that conveyed tenderness and understanding, and other ways in which doctors gave reassurances or psychology comfort.

Carcinoid Tumors - Carcinoid Syndrome - Symptoms, Signs, Diagnosis & Treatment
Carcinoid tumors is a benign tumor that results in carcinoid syndrome. Only 8 to 10% of all carcinoid tumors are associated with the carcinoid syndrome.

The new study has been published by the journal Health Expectations.

Source-ANI

Pheochromocytoma | Adrenal Gland Tumor: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention
Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor of the adrenal glands that secretes the catecholamines, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment of adrenal gland tumor are explained in detail.