Dr. Thomas LeBlanc on Patient Shared Decision-Making in Hematologic Malignancies

Thomas LeBlanc, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses why it is important to include patients in the decision-making process for the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

Oncologists have a tendency to give patients a lot of information at once regarding their diagnosis and treatment options. While it is important to give patients this information, oncologists don’t often check back with the patient to make sure they understood and remembered everything they were told, says LeBlanc.

Oncologists should be aware of how much they are talking versus how much the patient is talking and be sure to strike a balance. They should also ask the patient how they like to make decision, if they want to be actively or passively involved, and if they want a recommendation upfront or want to do their own research and come back with questions, says LeBlanc.

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