Just recently I was listening to a lecture by one of our physicians regarding cervical cancer. He made a statement that really stuck with me: “although we have made many advances towards screening, and treating the progression of cervical cancer, there is still more work to be done.” So I began to ask myself what exactly is that work and how can I be a part of it?
In the case of cervical cancer, one of the best ways to prevent progression is screening. However, does the population we are screening know the guidelines? Do they know when, where and how the process works? Are they aware of a vaccination that can potentially help with prevention as well? How can I, as a physician, help break down such barriers that can limit care for our patients?
Patient education and awareness is an important tool that we often do not consider as the first step towards breaking down such barriers. Just having a simple conversation, using educational materials such as images and models are also essential when delivering information. But how often do we implement education? Time is of the essence and I know that at times it can be difficult to manage the time/place to provide patient education. Additionally, not only is making time to deliver patient education important but the material we use can play a role in how that information is delivered. For example, how often do we check if that educational material meets our patients’ and communities’ reading levels? Should we spend more time on counseling, education, and teaching our patients during our visits? Would it be important to include such values in residency programs and medical school curriculum?
These are all important questions that I think we as a medical community should consider. Furthermore, more work should be done in the field of research regarding these questions to see if their implementation can contribute to better care of our patients.
How do you educate your patients? Comment down below!
