COPD depicted - patients drawing their lungs

Looking bad: Female patients drawing their representation of chemotherapy-induced alopecia

This study explored the experienced impact of alopecia using patient's drawings. Forty patients made drawings of their feelings about appearance of their head and hair before and during chemotherapy. Patients also reported illness perceptions (B-IPQ). Twenty-four patients (60%) reported ⩾50% alopecia at enrollment. Most patients (70%) drew a negative change of feelings over time and physical changes. Many experiences related to alopecia emerged from the written texts underneath the drawings and the B-IPQ. Drawings depicted deteriorated feelings of appearance, affecting many activities throughout the day. Healthcare providers are advised to use patient-tailored questioning about alopecia.

Visual Communication and Creative Processes Within the Primary Care Consultation

Discussion of the value of image, metaphor and creative principles to good consulting skill and patient education within the Primary Care setting is important in enhancing improved patient-physician interactions. A broad-based view of the techniques used in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching within Medical Education in the UK and US are canvassed to establish the best practices and efficacy of using drawings and images as communication tools between physicians and patients. A descriptive analysis of the author's use of image and metaphor is analysed to assess how such convey medical information and help in the improvement of consultation and patient understanding.

Giving A Face to Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: A Feasibility Study on Drawings by Patients

Objective:

Individuals with cancer experience the impact of chemotherapy on hair loss in different ways. The aim of this pilot study was to explore patients' experiences of alopecia through patients' drawings.

Methods:

Fifteen female patients diagnosed with cancer and treated with chemotherapy were recruited at the oncological day-care unit of a teaching hospital in the Netherlands. Participants completed a semi-structured interview about alopecia. They drew their head and hair before and during chemotherapy and completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ).

Results:

The drawings revealed predominantly physical effects, rather than emotions. Emotions were evident in the text that patients wrote under the drawings and in the B-IPQ open question about the perceived consequences of alopecia. The overall impact of alopecia that emerged from the drawings and the B-IPQ corresponded to the information retrieved from the interviews, namely disappointment, insecurity, sadness, and confrontation.

Conclusions:

Drawings expose cognitive and emotional responses to alopecia that may be relatively unexplored when using traditional assessment methods such as questionnaires or interviews. In future research, the drawing instructions need to be more specifically focused on feelings in order to better capture emotional reactions to hair loss.