ComMA – Communication, Medicine and Art
Since 2012, Colette Dobson has undertaken collaborative research, seeking to improve communication between patients and health care professionals concerning the sexual consequences of cancer and its treatments.
Working collaboratively, Textile artists Amanda Clayton, Elizabeth Couzins Scott, Colette Dobson, Designer Angela Atkinson and Dr Josie Butcher GP and Consultant Director of Psychosexual Health and Medicine – CWP NHS Trust, created ComMA.
This was in response to evidence pointing to a need to develop communication skills of Health professionals, to enable patients to deal with the trauma of their cancer disease and treatment. One of the most sensitive questions which arises in cancer survivorship is what happens to the sexual relationship.
Patients report feeling guilty and disempowered, Health professionals feeling anxious and inadequately skilled, leading to poor assessment and treatment.
The impact research was initially undertaken with Prostate Cancer patients, then developed with Breast Cancer patients, where the artist responded to the patients’ conversations, developed patients’ work and their own work in a collaborative environment. The artists’ and Consultants work was presented at international conferences, workshops, patient days and MacMillian events, educational modules developed for health professionals and artists work is used in the clinical environment with patients. A patient-artist collaborative booklet was produced and can be downloaded from the ComMA website section.
Further information can be downloaded here:
Photos by Catherine Dineley
Colette Dobson Collaboration 