Insights & Perspectives

The first time Lauri P. met with her fellow patient and family advisors at Cancer Care Ontario, she was unprepared for the emotions stirred up by the encounter. Sitting in her car after the meeting, she suddenly started to cry.

“The tears came out of left field. Meeting other survivors face to face was overwhelming,” she says. Far from being sad, Lauri says it was comforting to connect with people who had faced the same fears and frustrations she had.

This past spring I was giving a talk about the My CancerIQ risk assessment tool at one of Ontario’s largest primary care conferences. And, as I so often do, I remarked that chronic disease prevention and screening are reasons why I choose to practise family medicine. They've always resonated with me. 

When a couple can count their wedding anniversaries in decades, they usually have their relationship pretty well worked out. But as Malcolm and Ieva F. discovered, cancer can dramatically alter a couple’s roles as husband and wife, even after 40-plus years of marriage.

In honour of Patient Experience Week, CCO patient advisor Deb K. shares her thoughts on how healthcare providers can communicate more effectively with patients. Patient Experience Week runs from April 23 to 27, 2018.

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when communicating with patients. While writing at a lower grade level and in plain language can improve comprehension, using fewer words and carefully chosen visuals can be even more helpful.