When it comes to putting together a cancer care plan, there are some specific features to consider. These include multi-disciplinary teams, reporting on process indicators, transitional planning and patient needs assessment.
Multi-disciplinary teams
When exploring cancer care plans, multidisciplinary teams can be an effective way to ensure the patient’s needs are met. This approach has been shown to improve treatment and education outcomes for patients, while reducing mortality rates.
Although research has identified that a team approach has many benefits, it can also present challenges. It is important to understand how to overcome these hurdles to deliver effective MDT care.
In addition to improving the quality of treatment, a team approach can also enhance patient satisfaction. Patients with advanced life-limiting malignancies often have concerns about symptom burden and physical impact on their lives. They are also concerned about how their condition will affect their future. A team approach can help alleviate these concerns, while providing opportunities for peer support.
While there are several factors that can contribute to the success of a team approach to cancer care, one of the most common is the ability to share information among physicians, nurses, and other team members. The effectiveness of information sharing depends on the leadership of physicians, nurses, and other members of the team.
A key enabling factor is technology. MDTs use health information systems to exchange data and monitor patients’ progress. However, there is little evidence about how to use technology to enhance care. Moreover, researchers have focused on issues related to communication.
Despite the importance of MDTs, studies have demonstrated suboptimal information sharing. For example, the Journal of Clinical Oncology has published a review on the subject.
Several Western countries have adopted the use of multidisciplinary teams. But the Middle East is much less populated, and thus less familiar with these structures. As a result, there has been little study on this topic.
Patient needs assessment
Performing a patient needs assessment is an important step in delivering high quality cancer care. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, a number of tools have been developed to assist clinicians in this critical stage. These instruments are a great way to inform the design and development of cancer care programs.
For example, the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form 34 (SCNS-SF34) is a tool that is designed to measure unmet patient needs. However, it is not a complete tool.
Other tools, such as the SPARC tool, can be used to self-assess patient needs. Some of these tools may not be as reliable as others. The key to conducting a needs assessment is to identify the tool that is most appropriate for the situation at hand.
The National Assessment Tool for Cancer Patients (NAT-C) is a validated needs assessment tool that includes five areas: the patient’s ability to care for themselves; the patient’s well-being; the health care professional’s ability to provide care; the patient’s caregiver’s ability to provide care; and the ability of the patient’s family to provide care. It can be completed on paper or using an electronic medical record template. Upon completion, the form will be uploaded to the patient’s records.
The NICE Improving Outcomes Guidance suggests that staff at level two should be able to screen for psychological distress and intervene to alleviate the psychological impact of cancer. This study looked at the best instruments for assessing the patient’s needs in this regard.
To evaluate the need-mood-mapping tool, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature. Their search yielded 91 papers. They were reviewed and categorized based on their reliance on a conceptual model.
Transitional planning
Transitional planning when exploring cancer care plans is important. This is especially true for patients with comorbidities who are awaiting treatment or are recovering from treatment. The best outcomes come from a thoughtfully designed treatment plan that focuses on the patient’s unique needs and preferences.
While it is a good idea to have a solid care plan in place, it is equally important to keep the lines of communication open. One way to do this is to ask your patients what they are interested in. They may want to know more about your proposed plan, or they may be eager to discuss their values.
There are many strategies to help your patients navigate this difficult period. A survivorship navigator is one such strategy. He or she can help your patients with school re-entry, coordinating with teachers and nurses, and arranging classroom visits. Other options include referrals to community agencies.
The following suggestions are meant to serve as a starting point for your next meeting. You may also want to have a conversation about what the most significant achievements are in your patients’ lives. Also, keep in mind that this is a very personal and emotional time. Some people have a hard time coping with the loss of a loved one. If that is the case, the best course of action is to let them express their feelings and concerns in a way that will allow them to move forward in their lives.
In the end, the most meaningful transition is that of a renewed sense of purpose. Your cancer care team can help you navigate this tricky terrain. By asking the right questions, you may be able to help your patient find their way back to a full life.
Reporting on process indicators
Integrated care plans are an emerging trend in cancer care. They are designed to improve the quality of care and patient experience, while increasing the efficiency of care delivery. However, the current state of knowledge on how these plans work is relatively limited.
Reporting on process indicators when exploring cancer care plans is important. In particular, measuring the effectiveness of these measures is an important step towards improving cancer outcomes. This article reports on a study that collected a number of performance indicators from a variety of sources. These include cancer care plans, cancer pathway models, and performance-oriented information derived from existing data.
The resulting report identifies several indicators that demonstrate the impact of integrated care plans on health systems. It also outlines barriers to implementing such plans. Some of these are related to the time and resource intensity involved in developing a plan. Other barriers relate to a lack of physician buy-in.
An integrated care plan is a process-oriented tool that describes the various steps of care. The process is often based on a multidisciplinary team approach. Integrated care plans are implemented in several countries at the same time. As such, they are difficult to assess in isolation. For this reason, some care modifications could serve as learning opportunities for the future.
Another useful piece of information is the volume of cancer treatment. Treatments are typically grouped into surgeries, systemic therapies, loco-regional therapies, and radiation. These treatments vary widely, including treatment delays, radiotherapy hypofractionation, and the increase in open and radical surgery.
Process-oriented information, such as the percentage of patients who receive the most appropriate treatment, can be used to guide healthcare delivery. More importantly, these measurements could also be used to monitor the quality of cancer care during the pandemic.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic
There has been an unprecedented burden placed on cancer care by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus has disrupted medical services and cancer screenings worldwide. In addition to increasing the risk of infections, it has halted clinical trials. This has impeded current therapies for patients and jeopardized future therapy development.
Fortunately, cancer centers have made changes during this period. NHS England is consolidating cancer surgery in cancer hubs. Penn Medicine has shifted procedures to day surgeries. They are also working to increase clinical trial participation for underrepresented patients.
Patients with cancer have an elevated mortality rate. Research has shown that delays in treatment cause more deaths. With the pandemic, many cancer patients were diagnosed at later stages. For instance, patients were unable to receive immediate diagnoses for solid tumors, including breast cancer and prostate cancer.
In addition, COVID-19 increased the prevalence of social distancing behaviors such as anxiety and depression. This was especially true for patients with racial and ethnic minorities. During the pandemic, a significant proportion of participants expressed concern about friends and family.
A number of healthcare systems have pivoted to ensure patients are on track. However, the reconfiguration of services is not yet fully informed by near real-time hospital data.
Despite the changes, there is an ongoing need for additional research to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients. Studies have shown that the onset of a new cancer diagnosis is frightening for patients. Educating them can help with difficult tradeoffs.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will require a combat plan involving patient diligence and communication. Health care systems need to be reorganized to better meet the needs of cancer patients. It is important to remember that cancer patients are more vulnerable to infection than the general population.
