Dr. Catherine Coombs: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients?
Dr. Catherine Coombs: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.
What are some ways to empower patients? CLL expert Dr. Catherine Coombs with University of California Irvine discusses resources she recommends to patients, what she explains about CLL treatment, and lifestyle advice for patients.
See More from Empowering Providers to Empower Patients (EPEP)
Related Resources:
![]() |
![]() Dr. Jennifer Brown: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? |
![]() Dr. Andres Chang: Why Is It Important for You to Empower Patients? |
Transcript:
Dr. Catherine Coombs:
I empower my patients by providing them information, but also, emphasizing that, for as much as they would like, they can take an active role in their disease. And not everyone wants to do that, but I think for those that do, there are really excellent resources for education. I often refer my patients to the CLL Society, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, for more information, for support groups.
A common question I get from patients is, “Well, what can I do?” And I always emphasize to them how incredibly treatable CLL is in the event it needs treatment, but that it doesn’t always need treatment and therefore it’s just important to focus on their general health. And so I think eating a healthy diet and exercising are components that can really improve a patient’s quality of life, whether it’s unique to the CLL or just general life, I think, we don’t know, but it’s certainly not bad, and so I always emphasize that this is a treatable malignancy, they can always get more information if that’s something they desire, and that to focus on their overall health is of key importance as well.