Dr. Kazmi with Pam Cromwell and her mother Mozelle Cromwell
When she meets new patients, Dr.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY
PATIENT/PHYSICIAN RELATIONSHIP
s COMMUNICATION s RESPECT s OPENNESS s HONESTY s TRUST
Kazmi tries to learn how they do things at home, what is important to them, what kind of family obligations they have, and more. "If you don't know all of that, you miss a big opportunity to treat them fully," she insists. Dr. Kazmi believes it is critical for both
patients and doctors to be as frank and open as possible. Sometimes patients are afraid to tell their doctors certain things, but Dr. Kazmi says that the more she knows, the better she can help. "This is about the disease and your treatment, and I'm here to help you," she tells pa- tients. "You can do whatever you choose. You're empowered, and I respect that." As a patient of Dr. Kazmi's, Pam
Cromwell, a business analyst from New Jersey, can attest to the positive impact of her doctor's efforts to connect on a per- sonal level. Though Pam is currently liv-
26 cancer fighters thrive | summer 2012
ing with stage IV breast cancer, she jokes that her "Jedi mind trick" allows her to fake it much of the time and forget that she has cancer—except when she sees Dr. Kazmi. "Dr. Kazmi sees me at my most flawed," Pam says. "Other people see me as Pam the businesswoman or Pam the church girl, but she sees me as Pam the cancer patient, and that's where I'm most vulnerable." For Pam this vulnerability is the key
to her relationship with Dr. Kazmi. She feels a certain sense of safety and comfort with Dr. Kazmi that she hasn't experi- enced with other doctors. "Anyone can go through the proper education to become a doctor, but not everyone has the true compassion to be a doctor," explains Pam. Right away Pam knew that Dr. Kazmi
was different. "She won me over with her honesty," Pam recalls. "It was sincere hon- esty. She was real about what I was going
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