Medical analysis of visible therapy timelines. (A) Responses from sufferers instantly after interview with therapy plan (n = 30) and responses from sufferers at re-survey a number of weeks after preliminary interview (n = 11). * lacking responses: sufferers had not spoken with any family about their therapy. (B) Responses from MDs that used visible therapy timelines for therapy paths in affected person interviews, n = 24. (C) Proportion of right responses by sufferers at outpatient session (n = 30) and proportion of right responses from sufferers at re-survey a number of weeks after preliminary interview (recall, n = 11). (D) Comparability of particular person sufferers’ responses and question-level proportion of right responses at survey and re-survey. Credit score: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Affiliation (2025). DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocae319
So as to enhance communication between docs and sufferers, researchers have now developed visible aids to assist sufferers perceive therapy plans.
Due to quite a few analysis initiatives, therapies and prognoses for a lot of cancers are constantly enhancing. Nonetheless, this doesn’t change the truth that every particular person analysis places these affected in an distinctive state of affairs and the therapies are often very advanced and prolonged.
Older sufferers or non-native audio system particularly discover it obscure the proposed types of therapy and make knowledgeable choices. So as to enhance communication between docs and sufferers, researchers on the Nationwide Middle for Tumor Illnesses (NCT/UCC) Dresden and the School of Psychology at TUD Dresden College of Expertise have now developed visible aids to assist sufferers perceive therapy plans.
The historically used, text-based explanations of therapy strategies and the course of therapy for most cancers will be obscure for sufferers, who are sometimes older. This could result in issues in speaking a therapy idea between medical employees and sufferers.
Dr. Helena Jambor, NCT/UCC Dresden, Prof. Martin Bornhäuser, Director of the College Most cancers Middle (UCC) and Medical Clinic I at TUD, and Prof. Sebastian Pannasch, engineering psychologist at Dresden College of Expertise, addressed this problem. In collaboration with different colleagues, they developed varied ideas and approaches for visible aids.
On this foundation, therapy plans will be introduced as timelines with intuitive pictograms. A research carried out along with the Affected person Advisory Board of the NCT/UCC Dresden confirmed that the visible aids are understandable and enhance understanding and security throughout therapy.
The work is printed within the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Affiliation.
“In the clinical trials, patients showed that they were able to understand and comprehend the treatment plans much better,” explains Jambor. “Their satisfaction increased significantly thanks to the information—an assessment that was also confirmed by the doctors looking after them.”
“This research underlines the immense potential of visual aids in medical communication, especially in clinical applications of complicated treatment protocols,” provides Bornhäuser. “Simplifying complex information into accessible visual formats can bring clarity to clinical procedures and improve the quality of patient care.”
“Research into the treatment of tumor diseases and the prevention of side effects is a focus of Dresden University Medicine,” says Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Dresden School of Medication. “This development will help patients to better understand the complex treatment processes and know who to turn to in the event of side effects.”
Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Medical Director of Dresden College Hospital, provides, “The NCT/UCC is one of the top centers for state-of-the-art cancer therapies. Thanks to the visual aids, these can now be offered in an even more comprehensible and therefore safer way.”
Extra data:
Helena Klara Jambor et al, Speaking most cancers therapy with pictogram-based timeline visualizations, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Affiliation (2025). DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocae319
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Infographics over textual content: Visible help can enhance decision-making competence in advanced most cancers (2025, January 30)
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