Patient-Centered Communication during Collaborative Decision Making: Mary Politi and Richard L. Street, Jr.

In June 2008, Joe, a father of three and a highly successful teacher and researcher, received devastating news. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Dr. Smith, Joe’s oncologist, informed Joe that there was only one treatment option for his lymphomaeight cycles of chemotherapy. Joe learned similar information through his search on the Internet, so he trusted Dr. Smith and began treatment. He suff ered moderate to severe side eff ects, but hoped that the treatment would be successful and would outweigh the temporary discomfort. Joe and Dr. Smith were thrilled to learn that after six chemotherapy treatments, radiographic imaging showed no signs of the tumor.