Searching for the knowledge to heal: improving the links between medical research and the consumer

Canadian women are increasingly interested in taking more responsibility for their health. Women with breast cancer find great gaps in the information and treatment available to them, and request more research on treatment methods, including more scientific analysis of alternative treatments and avenues of healing, as well as research aimed at prevention. These women also experience a clinical practices gap, in that too many practitioners are not up-to-date on diagnostic practices. This must be addressed in the training of new doctors and through the provision of more continuing education. A third gap is the communications gap. Doctor-patient communication must be improved, and practitioners should encourage greater consumer participation. However, consumers would have to be trained on how the medical system works and on how to participate actively in their own care. Improved dissemination of health care research and practices can help to bridge--and eventually to close--these gaps.