Stigma, shame, and blame experienced by patients with lung cancer: Non-smoker status should also be declared

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7462.403

BMJ 2004;329:403 (14 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7462.403

Letter

Stigma, shame, and blame experienced by patients with lung cancer

Non-smoker status should also be declared

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—I write with reference to the article by Chappleet al on the negative experiences of patients with lung cancer.¹I remember a campaign many years ago encouraging doctors torecord on a patient's death certificate that a smoking relateddeath was due to smoking.² Several years ago my father was diagnosedwith lung cancer. He was a non-smoker and not even a passivesmoker.

In the months leading up to his death I became concerned thatin years to come people seeing his death certificate in thearchives would assume that he died because of smoking. Thisupset me.

After his death I asked the doctor providing the death certificateto state on the form that my father was a non-smoker. This wasdone. I had one hurdle left. I am pleased to say that the registrarof births and deaths accepted the death certificate as it . . . [Full text of this article]

Keith A Walters, consultant in accident and emergency medicine

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich NR4 7UY Kawmeadow@aol.com

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Article

Stigma, shame, and blame experienced by patients with lung cancer: qualitative study: A Chapple, S Ziebland, and A McPherson
BMJ 2004 328: 1470. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]