Related Experiment Videos
Oncology and narrative time
M J Del Vecchio Good1, T Munakata, Y Kobayashi
1Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|March 1, 1994
Summary
American oncologists manage patient uncertainty by focusing on immediate experiences rather than long-term timelines. This narrative approach contrasts with other cultural practices, impacting hope and therapeutic plots in cancer care.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Clinical Oncology
- Narrative Medicine
Background:
- Oncologists face significant uncertainty regarding patient prognoses and time horizons.
- Cultural expectations in the US mandate instilling hope in patient-physician therapeutic narratives.
- Uncertainty influences how oncologists communicate time, often emphasizing immediacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how American oncologists manage temporal uncertainty in patient communication.
- To explore the construction of therapeutic narratives and the experience of time in oncology.
- To compare American temporal communication patterns with Japanese practices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized narrative analysis focusing on temporality and therapeutic plot construction.
- Examined exemplar cases and therapeutic practices in American and Japanese oncology.
- Employed qualitative methods to understand physician communication strategies.
Main Results:
- American oncologists often express time without clear horizons or with foreshortened timelines.
- This communication style prioritizes patient immediacy over chronological progression.
- Cultural mandates for hope influence these temporal expressions.
Conclusions:
- The American approach to temporal communication in oncology is distinct, shaped by cultural factors and the need to manage uncertainty.
- Narrative strategies focusing on immediacy may impact patient hope and the therapeutic relationship.
- Cross-cultural comparisons reveal diverse methods for constructing therapeutic plots in cancer care.