Patients would like their doctors to be more sensitive to their issues and give them some real time and concern.
The background of the problem shows medical students are not learning proper bedside manner in regard to support, care, and compassion to a patient. Presently, there are very few formal communication skills assessment exams required of those in the medical field. The article titled "Bedside Manner 101," Joannie M. Schrof state "6 in 10 doctors surveyed last year said medical school had poorly prepared them to talk with patients, and nearly 7 in 10, said insufficient time with patients was a serious problem" (66).
We have determined that primary data reveals further training in the skills of bedside manner is not only needed but essential to the medical profession. During her illness with colon cancer one of the researchers has experienced the treatment and mannerisms of many doctors. She felt three of her physicians would need no further improvement in the area of compassion. The researcher encountered two physicians who were adequate, but spent only a few short moments in the examination room with her and her family. The researcher has counted over twenty doctors she has seen during her illness, and recovery from colon cancer. Five doctors out of twenty doctors were rated as adequate or above. She felt the rest needed much improvement in empathy toward a cancer patient. This leaves an astounding seventy-five percent of the physicians who desperately need further training in empathy.
We feel strongly about organizing a service to train medical personnel in the method or technique of sympathizing with a desperate, anxious human being who may feel that they are at the end of their life. We would like to evaluate the personal attitudes regarding the interaction between the medical profession and cancer patients. We feel that developing an objective survey and presenting it to cancer patients who are currently being treated in a cancer treatment facility would subjectively evaluate a physician's response to the patient's concerns.
