BMJ 1996;313:1329 (23 November)

Letters

Tertiary cancer services

Psychiatric and psychological liaison should be included

EDITOR,--M A Richards and colleagues report a benchmarking study of activity and facilities at 12 specialist cancer centres.1 One of the objectives of the study was to help the planning of future cancer services. The authors looked at inpatient and outpatient services and also at radiotherapy and chemotherapy practice. They make no mention, however, of psychological, psychiatric, or social input to patients and their families.

In the same issue of the BMJ Sandra Goldbeck-Wood discusses how tomorrow's doctors should be selected and quotes an appeal from patients for doctors who are, among other things, "broad minded," "informative," and "holistic."2 The same issue also contains I G McDonald and colleagues' paper looking at how to reassure the worried well.3 So much for the worried well; what about the worried ill or dying?

I have a good friend who is currently a patient in an . . . [Full text of this article]


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Tertiary cancer services in Britain: benchmarking study of activity and facilities at 12 specialist centres
M A Richards and J C Parrott
BMJ 1996 313: 347-349. [Abstract] [Full Text]

Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ