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Biomedical subjects

David W Easter

Publications and source records attributed to David W Easter.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Disclosing and responding to cancer "fears" during oncology interviews.

Video-excerpts from routine oncology interviews are examined to reveal how patients demonstrate and doctors respond to "fears" about cancer. Vocally and visually, embodied impacts of dealing with dreaded consequences of cancer are apparent when addressing both good and potentially bad cancer news. Even a "brush" with cancer can promote negative and ongoing impacts provoking unresolved illness dilemmas. We reveal how, in the midst of extending answers and initiating concerns, patients exhibit trepidations when volunteering narrative information about their medical history and experience of symptoms. In response, doctors are shown to acknowledge yet exhibit minimal receptiveness to patients' lifeworld disclosures and demonstrations (e.g., redirecting attention away from patients' concerns by offering "textbook" symptoms and related pursuits of biomedical agendas). Discussion focuses on interactional criteria for identifying "fears", patients' lay orientations to medical visits, and implications for refining educational workshops for oncologists.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2004

Simultaneous serous cystadenoma of the pancreas and mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix.

CONTEXT: Serous cystadenoma of the pancreas and mucinous tumors of the vermiform appendix are rare. To our knowledge, the simultaneous occurrence of these two tumors has not been reported. CASE REPORT: Here, we report an adult female who presented with signs and symptoms of appendicitis. A preoperative CT scan confirmed the findings of appendicitis and also showed an incidental large mass in the head of the pancreas. The patient underwent uneventful appendectomy. Her pathology revealed an acutely inflamed appendix with a benign mucinous cystadenoma at the tip. Several months after her recovery, a Whipple procedure was performed. Pathologic examination showed a 5x5 cm serous cystadenoma of the head of the pancreas without evidence of malignancy. Two years later, the patient is alive and well without evidence of tumor recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Cystadenomas of the pancreas and appendix are unusual and their simultaneous occurrence is a rare event.

Appendiceal Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Competent patient care is dependent upon attending to empathic opportunities presented during interview sessions.

OBJECTIVE: Core competencies in surgical education and clinical care rely on effective patient-physician communication. We aim to develop quantitative and empirical tools for understanding critical communication tasks during patient interviews. METHODS: Residents in surgical training and attending physicians were separately video recorded during stressful, first visit oncology patient interview sessions. Taped sessions (n = 16) were analyzed in detail to identify and label patient-initiated actions (PIAs), or "empathic opportunities," that call for recognition or action from the caregiver. Doctor-responsive actions (DRAs) were labeled as matching to, or missing from, each empathic opportunity. Missed empathic opportunities occurred when a PIA did not have an associated DRA. Presession and postsession surveys queried the patient's perception of how well their health-care needs were met. RESULTS: Resident trainees and attending physicians missed 70% of 160 clearly identified empathic opportunities. There was no clear association with the level of physician training. This pilot study did not have enough power to discern differences in patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians are often not very attentive to empathic opportunities offered by patients. Individual feedback and training regarding empathic opportunities in recorded patient communication encounters may improve resident and physician core competencies. These improvements may affect patient satisfaction related to these encounters.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Coagulopathy review.

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Journal Article↗