Communication with patients with hematological malignancies in Argentina

Abstract

Argentina is a country of immigrants and Buenos Aires, its capital city, one of the largest urban areas in the world. The country in which we live with all its cultural background together with the characteristics of the institution where we work, are important factors influencing our communication with patients. Although the clinical information we give to our patients as well as the effort we take into communicating adequately are important therapeutic tools, in our country, there is no formal education on these topics. Most doctors learn to communicate with patients, guided by a model they choose and by personal intuition. The time and effort dedicated to each patient regarded as an individual with all their personal characteristics, is of paramount importance throughout their new life situation facing a hematological diagnosis. Chronic diseases with no necessary immediate treatment, others in which the overall survival can depend on the treatment compliance, and other cases needing aggressive chemotherapy with bad prognosis are some of the scenarios and challenges of communication with patients with hematological malignancies in Argentina.