Eva Lehner-Baumgartner, PhD of Vienna General Hospital, Vienna, Austria, talks about the importance of doctors providing patients with information. Regardless if the patient is distressed or not, they need basic information about the disease, i.e. their diagnosis, stage, prognosis and treatment. Dr Lehner-Baumgartner mentions the huge evolution in the treatment of melanoma, which has been presented and discussed at the 2016 World Congress on Cancers of the Skin (WCCS) and the Congress of the European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO) in Vienna, Austria. On one hand this progress gives patients hope against the disease, on the other hand it also means that they live longer with the disease. Thererfore, it is important for the doctor to talk to their patients about living with the disease burden. The doctor can also recommend psycho-social health services to patients, like support groups and psychologist to help them deal with their disease. In addition it is beneficial for the doctor to talk to the patient about communication within the family, especially when explaining to children about a parent having cancer.
What support can doctors provide patients in terms of pyschological well-being?
