When you’re navigating a differentiated thyroid cancer diagnosis, a medical team you trust is a crucial part of your disease management. Building trust requires openness, good communication, and collaboration among all teammates, including you. It can take some work to reach these goals. But the benefit is a strong, positive relationship with the care team who will be with you throughout your treatment and beyond.
Foster Good Communication
To feel comfortable and open with your doctor, set the stage with your own behavior. Try these strategies:
- Between doctor visits, keep a running list of questions that come up. Bring the list with you to appointments so you remember to cover all your bases while you’re there.
- Make sure you know the best way to communicate with your doctor. Is the office’s patient portal the quickest way to get a response? Should you leave a phone message? How should you get in touch if you have an urgent concern?
- Ask ahead of your appointments how long you can expect to have scheduled with your doctor. Find out if there is an option for longer appointments when you have extra questions or concerns.
- Repeat your questions until you understand the answer. Rephrase your doctor’s replies and ask if you’ve understood the information correctly.
- Don’t hold back details when talking to your doctor. It’s especially important for them to know if you have any new symptoms or are taking medications or supplements alongside your treatments.
If you feel like your doctor is not listening or you’re struggling to understand or get in touch with them, it’s worth an honest conversation. You want to feel mutual respect and trust between you and your doctor. When that’s missing, it can affect your cancer treatment. You may feel less inclined to follow their advice, for example. In fact, some research shows that people who don’t have a good relationship with their doctor are less likely to take their prescribed medications, even lifesaving ones.
Nurses, oncology social workers, and patient navigators can help improve communication with your doctor. They can help you pinpoint the issues you’re having and help bridge the gap between you and your doctor by giving you talking points, helping you organize your thoughts, or even talking to your doctor directly, if you’re OK with it.
It’s OK to Get a Second Opinion
You may find that getting a second opinion increases your trust and confidence in the recommendations of your doctor and team. A second opinion is when you seek out advice from a doctor other than the one who gave you your diagnosis.
Don’t worry that getting a second opinion will make your doctor angry or that they won’t like you as a result. Second opinions are all in a day’s work for most doctors. Not only is it very common for people to get second opinions, but it’s also sometimes required by insurance providers before they’ll approve treatment.
You might get a second opinion if:
- You want a clearer picture of your cancer and what stage it is.
- You want to be sure you’ve explored all available treatments, including clinical trials.
- You want additional input from a specialist such as a radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, or surgical oncologist. With more information, you may feel more empowered to make treatment choices.
In the spirit of open and honest communication, it’s a good idea to tell your doctor when you plan to get another opinion. You’ll need to make sure you have enough time for one. Typically, you and your doctor will decide on a treatment plan only after you’ve learned as much as possible about your cancer and your options, but in some cases you may need to start treatment quickly.
If you’re nervous about how to tell your doctor you’re seeking another opinion, try these prompts:
- I’d like to get a second opinion for more information. Do you have a recommendation?
- So that I can make the best decision about treatment, I want to get a second opinion. Can you help with that?
- If you were in my shoes, where would you go for another opinion?
- I want to talk to another doctor to be sure I’ve covered all my bases.
Be sure you take all your current medical records, test results, and your first doctor’s recommendations with you to your second opinion.
You Can Trust a Patient-Centered Approach
Patient-centered care encourages active collaboration and shared decision-making between the person with cancer, their family, and the care team to design and manage the most effective treatment plan.
Research shows that a patient-centered approach to cancer care can have a huge positive impact on quality of life. People who get the chance to ask questions and feel involved in their care are much more likely to trust their doctors.
Your care team is patient-centered if they:
- Regularly give you the chance to ask questions
- Make sure you understand your next steps
- Address the emotional side of your cancer care
- Give you clear explanations about your diagnosis and treatment options
- Spend enough time with you during visits
- Involve you in decision-making
Show Sources
Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images
SOURCES:
Cancer Support Community: “Your Cancer Care Team.”
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: “Improving Patient-Doctor Communication.”
Virginia Mason Fransiscan Health: “Thyroid Cancer Second Opinions.”
American Cancer Society: “Seeking a Second Opinion.”
NEJM Catalyst: “What Is Patient-Centered Care?”
Journal of Patient Experience: “The Impact of Patient-Centered Care on Cancer Patients’ QOC, Self-Efficacy, and Trust Towards Doctors: Analysis of a National Survey.”
