JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cancer is a major burden in Ethiopia, and Tikur Anbessa hospital, Addis Ababa, is its sole governmental unit for radiation treatment. With a handful of oncologists, lack of resources and a huge patient influx, the work is challenging, especially achieving effective and ethical patient consultation. Patients, usually accompanied by family, wait for long times and often depart without treatment. Handling consultations well is essential in order to help them as well as possible within such limitations.

Objective:

This project develops and consolidates a collaboration to better understand and mitigate the communicative challenges in Ethiopian cancer care, with focus on the handling and sharing of decision-making, and ethical tensions between patients, staff and family.

Methods:

In bilateral joint workshops, we will analyze multiple existing data, using theoretical models from linguistics, health communication and healthcare ethics. Completions to the existing data will be made.

Results:

We will develop clinical and methodological solutions to prepare expanded data collection, joint publications, application for joint projects and educational interventions. Though the needs of Ethiopia are prioritised, the project contributes to understanding of increasing challenges in Western health systems, where focus on family and patient participation is increasing, not least to a growing population of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East.

Conclusions:

Collaboration between researchers from linguistics, communication, philosophy and medicine contributes to development of person centered care.