Home >Unlabelled > Cancer Docs Often Deal With Own Grief, Doubts When Patients Die
Cancer Docs Often Deal With Own Grief, Doubts When Patients Die
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 by Health and Wellness News
WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Some cancer doctors may build up emotional walls -- distancing themselves from the patients they can't save -- to avoid grief, sadness and even despair, new research shows.
In a profession where death and dying "are part and parcel of the work," study author Leeat Granek said grieving is mixed with "feelings of self-doubt, failure and powerlessness that come from the idea that doctors are responsible for their patients' lives and for making their treatment decisions."
Twenty oncologists at three adult cancer centers in Ontario described how they dealt -- or didn't deal -- with grief, and its effect on their professional practice and personal lives. The report was published online May 21 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"The issue with doing oncology is that you walk a very fine line," one doctor said. "If you get too involved with your patients you can't function because it's too much emotional load to bear, and if you get too distant from your patients then I don't think you're being a very good physician, because people pick up on that."
"Sometimes the grief comes home with the oncologist," said Granek, a postdoctoral fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Although some doctors "compartmentalized" in order to function, others had difficulty sleeping or enjoying time with their family.
But there were positive reactions, too. Some physicians found they had a better perspective on life from frequent exposure to patient loss. And some felt motivated to give better care.
The study referred to the physician's burden of "holding hard knowledge."
"Sometimes I'll take a chart and I'll look at the imaging, and everything's worse and the numbers are worse," a doctor said, "and I have to drag myself into the patient's room and figure out what can I offer them that's hopeful and positive. It's tough."
Several oncologists said they cried on the way home in their cars. But feelings were kept private or submerged.
"Losing any patient is difficult," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society. "But there is no time to grieve. You have a moment or two to reflect and then you're on to the next patient who needs your help."
Granek said that "even just acknowledging that grief over patient loss exists and that it's part of the profession would be healthier than what is happening now. There is no acknowledgement at all, and there's denial."
Other patients might be affected in the aftermath of a loss, some respondents suggested.
"Maybe I got that case after someone had just died and I was in a more aggressive mode," one physician said. "Or, maybe I undertreated someone because I just saw a patient with terrible toxicity."
Doctors talked about being distracted, less focused. When patients were dying, some physically distanced themselves, avoiding the hospital and bedside.
Patients and family members can sense this distance. Lichtenfeld told of a bereaved husband who confided in him after his wife had died of breast cancer.
Caring professionals "would spend time with him, talk to him, look at him, hold his hand, ask how he was feeling," Lichtenfeld said. But others "would not engage in those behaviors -- they would look the other way, they would not look him in the eye, they would rely on 'the data, the data, the data,'" in conversations.
"If you're troubled about the way the physician or members of that team are relating to you," Lichtenfeld recommended "bringing it up as part of the conversation."
An accompanying journal commentary described how one institution is dealing with the situation. Since 2008, the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. has held staff support meetings -- mandatory for oncology fellows -- where practitioners are encouraged to discuss their experiences with patient loss and grief.
"Feelings of frustration, anger, loss, isolation and insecurity often emerge in a setting that is nonjudgmental and supportive," wrote oncologists Dr. Michelle Shayne and Dr. Timothy Quill. "At the end of each one-hour session, a moment of silence is observed in remembrance of patients who have recently died, and the opportunity to remember and honor a patient who has died by saying his or her first name is offered."
Oncologists "are working very hard and doing this phenomenal job with very large numbers of patients," Granek said, "and they could use a little bit of support with this piece."
Via: Cancer Docs Often Deal With Own Grief, Doubts When Patients Die
Popular Posts
-
Deciding not to step out into the Black Friday foray, Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest opted for a post-Thanksigivng vacation in...
-
Rodrigo Cid Cynthia Nixon has an Emmy and a Tony, and she also has flawless skin. But that hasn't always been the case. After strugg...
-
FRIDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- The public's common image of a Botox patient is a middle-aged woman hoping to look more youthful th...
-
TUESDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Restrictions on young people's use of indoor tanning have been introduced by several countries in...
-
Featured wedding by Wedding 64, My Simply Perfect Weddings ...
-
THURSDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- As many as one in five Americans has to deal each day with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, a di...
-
Wedding dresses that give you two looks for the price of one...
-
QUILL/TAXI/GETTY IMAGES The first new weight-loss drug in 13 years was approved Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Th...
-
WEDNESDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- Rates of esophageal cancer have surged due to a lack of awareness about what causes the disease and...
-
MONDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- The new blood-thinning drug Brilinta should be considered along with older drugs to treat patients wit...
Blog Archive
-
▼
2012
(1044)
-
▼
May
(86)
- 1 in 5 Americans Has Untreated Cavities: CDC
- Serious Exercise May Benefit Middle-Aged Arteries
- 10 Things Not Say to Someone with Cancer
- U.S. Program Targets Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nur...
- Brave New World of Genetics Requires Safeguards, E...
- More Families Seek Kidney Donations on Facebook
- Humans Can Sniff Out Old Age in Others, Study Shows
- Obesity May Raise Odds for Painful Leg Condition
- Pre-op Treatments Boost Survival for Esophageal Ca...
- Personalized Blood Pressure Therapy May Help Diabe...
- High Blood Sugar May Make Pneumonia Deadlier
- Real Women: 'I Kept Working While I Had Cancer'
- Scientists Map the Tomato's Genome
- Summer's Heat May Enflame Hives
- Flaunt Your Not So Teeny Weeny Full-Coverage Fatkini
- Work-Life Balance Isn't Just a Mom Thing
- Once-Obese Women Still Face Stigma, Study Finds
- Could Bloodletting Ease Heart Risks for the Obese?
- Optimism, Laughter May Bring Long Life
- Surly People Tend to Like Fierce Dogs, Study Shows
- 'Nordic Walking' a Winner for Heart Failure Patien...
- Can Aspirin Prevent Skin Cancer?
- Cash, Coaching May Boost Healthy Living
- Healthy Brain Connections Help Maintain Intellect ...
- Video Games, Computer & TV Time Management
- 5 Problems That Can Affect Your Child's Sleep
- Worried About a Childs Weight? Heres How to Create...
- Tight Blood-Sugar Control Shows Mixed Results for ...
- Education May Protect Brain From Exposure to Solvents
- 'CPAP Machine Changed My Life'
- Feeling Lackadaisical? Sleep Apnea May Be to Blame
- Common Painkillers May Help Prevent Skin Cancer: S...
- Use of Smokers' Lungs for Transplant Has Pros, Cons
- Taking Anti-HIV Meds Prior to Exposure May Help Pr...
- HPV Vaccine Why Your Daughter (and Son) Need It
- Are You Hyperparenting? Time to Let Go & Let Kids ...
- Night Shift Might Boost Women's Breast Cancer Risk...
- HRT Update: Therapy May Reduce Fractures, Boost So...
- Key to More Active, Slimmer Kids: Friends
- Many Still Tanning, Despite Dangers, Survey Finds
- Physical Education Is Good for Kids' Grades, Study...
- Exercise Helps Older Adults Stay Fit
- Keep Food Safety in Mind This Memorial Day Weekend
- Cancer Patients Share Web Info With Docs for Insig...
- Can You Hear Me Now?
- Amazon Tribe Gives Clues to Heart-Healthy Lifestyles
- As Obesity Rates Rise, Cases of Kidney Stones Doub...
- Few U.S. Hispanics Screened for Skin Cancer
- Fitness May Boost Survival for Women With Breast C...
- People Who Lived Near World Trade Center Report Mo...
- The Science of Tasty Tomatoes Lies in the Chemicals
- Travel to High Altitudes Tied to Crohn's, Colitis ...
- Japanese-American Men With Low Vitamin-D Diet Face...
- Combo Therapy May Help Ease 'Ringing in the Ears'
- Strokes More Common in Southern States: CDC
- Severely Obese Have More Complications With Spinal...
- Surgical Residents Often Fatigued, Study Confirms
- States Use Only Fraction of Tobacco Revenues to Fi...
- Work-Related Asthma a Significant Problem: CDC
- Efficient Disease Risk Prediction a Long Way Off, ...
- Some Heavy Kids at Risk of Blindness, Study Says
- Flesh-Eating Bacteria No Cause for Panic, Experts Say
- Body Building, Diet Supplements Linked to Liver Da...
- U.S. Liver Transplants Declining
- Hepatitis C Causing Liver Damage in Greater Number...
- Middle-Aged Diabetics May Need Earlier Colon Checks
- Colonoscopy May Detect Curable Cancer in Elderly: ...
- Patients Prefer More Invasive Form of Colon Scan: ...
- U.S. Sees Drop in Deaths Linked to Diabetes
- Sleep Apnea 'Mask' Might Also Help the Heart
- Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Cardiac Cells to H...
- Cancer Docs Often Deal With Own Grief, Doubts When...
- Study Offers Ways to Decrease Use of Restraints at...
- Germs Lurk in Office Kitchens, Break Rooms
- Mouse Study Sheds Light on How Diet May Affect Epi...
- Regional Systems to Treat Severe Heart Attack Incr...
- Clot Buster Seems to Help Up to 6 Hours After Stroke
- Breast MRI Best at Tracking Response to Chemo: Study
- If You Put Him on a Diet, Hell Eat Junk Anyway
- Cell Transplant Tested as Treatment for Nerve Pain...
- Patients May Receive Too Much Acetaminophen in Hos...
- Study Spots Early Warning Signal for Sudden Cardia...
- Aspirin May Prevent Recurrence of Deep Vein Blood ...
- IUDs, Implants Best for Long-Term Birth Control: S...
- Calcium Supplements May Be Bad for Your Heart: Study
- FDA Panel Votes Against New Use for Blood Thinner ...
-
▼
May
(86)
Fishing Tips And Techniques For Beginners
FEMININE INFINITY TATTOO DESIGNS
CUTE DORM ROOM IDEAS
ABC Party Ideas For Girls
Greenpois0n Jailbreak
What Is Best Treadmill
HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT FOR WOMEN
Blogroll
- Rocky Mountain Road Bikes
- What Is Sterling Silver Plated
- Black Gold Dogs Food
- Dining Rooms Paint Colors
- Parents Choices Diapers
- Best K Cups Coffees
- Arts And Crafts For Toddlers
- Healthy Skin Makeup Reviews
- Refurbished Androids Phones
- Techno Gadgets For Kids
- Weddings Makeup Looks
- Womens Fashions Boots
- SSD vs HDD
- Beyonce
- Bluray Disc
- Laptop Bag
- Kokowaah Torrent
- Best Seller Baby Furniture
- Golf Instruction Tips Free
- Camping Tips And Tricks For Beginners
- Best Sports Car In The World
- Smallyard Landscaping Ideas
- Small Backyard Landscaping Ideas
- Hairstyles For Medium Length Hair
- What Is Best Treadmill
- How To Gain Weight For Women
- Technology Green Energy
- Fishing Tips And Techniques For Beginners
- Feminine Infinity Tattoo Designs
- Greenpoisons
- Coal Trading
- Boss Tambang
- Lactoses Intolerance
- Fashion And Beauty Trends
- How To Grow Facial Hair Faster
- Samsung News
- Coal Mining And Geology
- Childs Craft
- Best iPads Apps
- iPhone iPad iPod
- Gtrend
- iPhone 4G
- Gadgetz News
- Facial Hair
- Constant Diarrhea
- Grosir Baju Muslim
- Unlock iPhone Store
- Greenpois0n Jailbreak
- Cute Dorm Room Ideas
- ABC Party Ideas For Girls