Guan Angel, Ma Vincent, Bakshi Arjun C, Agustines Davin
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, USA.
College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, USA.
Cureus. 2021 Jul 14;13(7):e16386. doi: 10.7759/cureus.16386. eCollection 2021 Jul.
There is an abundance of literature that highlights the importance of patient-centered communication with cancer patients requiring surgical intervention. While the need for communication for patients requiring surgery is well understood, less attention is brought to patients with severe mental illnesses. More literature is needed to highlight the importance and application of patient-centered care for patients suffering from both severe mental illness and cancer requiring surgical intervention. It is unclear if poor communication between patients and cancer-care specialists is part of the reason for the underlying discrepancy. Efforts to reduce this discrepancy may be worth considering as a priority for health care systems. We present a case of a 63-year-old man with schizophrenia who received a late cancer diagnosis after a missed screening, resulting in an extensive surgical resection for colon cancer. We explore the possibility of careful communication between the treating physician, patient, and patient's caretakers potentially preventing the delay in his cancer diagnosis. Effective communication is especially important with mental health patients because of its effect on long-term physical and mental outcomes. We hope to further the discussion on how to better cater to this specific population of patients undergoing cancer surgery.
有大量文献强调了与需要手术干预的癌症患者进行以患者为中心的沟通的重要性。虽然对于需要手术的患者而言沟通的必要性已得到充分理解，但患有严重精神疾病的患者却较少受到关注。需要更多文献来突出以患者为中心的护理对于同时患有严重精神疾病和需要手术干预的癌症患者的重要性及应用。目前尚不清楚患者与癌症护理专家之间沟通不畅是否是潜在差异的部分原因。作为医疗保健系统的优先事项，努力减少这种差异可能值得考虑。我们介绍了一例63岁患有精神分裂症的男性患者，他在筛查遗漏后被晚期诊断出癌症，最终因结肠癌接受了广泛的手术切除。我们探讨了主治医生、患者及其护理人员之间进行细致沟通有可能避免其癌症诊断延误的可能性。由于有效沟通对长期身心健康结果有影响，因此对于心理健康患者尤为重要。我们希望进一步讨论如何更好地满足这一接受癌症手术的特定患者群体的需求。
