Your sitemaster has mentioned before that he likes to keep an eye on the blog by the medical oncologist Dr. Craig Hildreth on the CancerNetwork.com web site.
We have no idea whether Dr. Hildreth has any great level of skill and experience in the management of patients with prostate cancer, but what he certainly does seem to have is an appreciation for the importance of a strong and well-founded physician-patient relationship as a fundamental element in “the bond between two people as the indispensible measure of service.”
His latest blog post (“I and Thou and Cancer“) is a little on the esoteric side for those with limited knowledge of philosophy … but the points he makes about the nature of the services that a good oncologist (or indeed almost any good physician who actually sees patients for a living) provides for his or her patients are all precisely on target.
Filed under: Living with Prostate Cancer, Management | Tagged: care, patient-physician, relationship, service |
THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK 
Of much greater importance than how closely a patient feels to his or her doctors is the doctors’ medical and scientific competence, as we have seen from the PSA screening disaster. Before feeling close to his or her doctor, a patient needs to develop a healthy skepticism towards his or her doctors’ advice and toward the medical industry in general (see, for example, this book).
I spoke to oncologist 4 times last week. Maha and I chatted about her move over to Northwestern. And I was passed along a major clinical trial from our group chairs to critique from the patient perspective before it gets sent off to CTEP. I feel connected… :-0
Seriously though. My PCP does not know me from Adam. And does not seem interested to.
Tony: That’s ‘cos you’ve scared the poor man to death!
:O)
Wow. Just Wow. You still owe me some Yorkshire dog, I mean pudding. It’s hard to get service around here.
I’m happy to buy you good Yorkshire pudding any time … but you weren’t at ASCO and I don’t think you were at the GU Oncology meeting either.
Alas, this is not something I can cook, freeze, and FedEx!
:O)