71,776 research outputs found

    Cancer Care Coordinators: Realising the Potential for Improving the Patient Journey

    Get PDF
    A person diagnosed with cancer can receive multiple treatments in a variety of different health care settings over extended periods of time1. During this time, they come into contact with multiple health care providers. For example, one recent UK study reported that cancer patients with a diagnosis of less than one year had met 28 doctors on average since their diagnosis2. Add to this the many other health professionals with whom the patient will come into contact during their illness and the complex maze that can characterise the patient’s cancer journey is obvious. The Optimising Cancer Care in Australia report3 published in 2003 by the peak cancer organisations in Australia concluded that there are many places for the person with cancer to get lost in the system, causing unnecessary morbidity and undue distress. The lack of an integrated care system for people with cancer was identified as a major failing of today’s health system3. A number of states in Australia have moved to appoint cancer care coordinators as a strategy to address such problems. In Queensland, cancer coordination positions have been established in a number of Health Service Districts in the Southern and Central Zone of the State, initially to scope patterns of care, referral pathways and to define a cancer coordination model for their regions that is consistent across the state, but able to meet the local needs of the population. To support its Cancer Clinical Service Framework, the NSW Health Department plans to recruit up to 50 cancer nurse coordinators. Cancer nurse coordinators in NSW will work through Lead Clinicians and Directors of Area Cancer Services to support oncology team meetings, develop care pathways and protocols, and provide a direct source of contact for patients and primary care physicians accessing cancer services4. In Victoria, a number of program coordinators and regional nurse coordinators have been introduced as part of the breast services enhancement program. Individual institutions have also established nurse coordinator roles for specific tumour streams. The cancer care coordinator role is a rapidly emerging one with a mandate to achieve some potentially far-reaching reforms to systems of care. To ensure these developments realise their potential, it is timely to consider the most effective ways to design and implement models of care coordination thatachieve the improvements being sought for the Australian cancer care system

    Evaluation of the cancer nurse coordinator initiative annual report 2014

    Get PDF
    Summary The first annual Cancer Nurse Coordinator Initiative (CNCI) evaluation report has drawn on a number of data sources, including: a specific Cancer Nurse Coordinator (CNC) database that provides information about the activity and function of the nurses a CNC online survey which profiles CNCs and their activities, contribution and perceived effect on patient experience a provider online survey to assess understanding and perceived effects on patient experience a patient survey to assess patient experience of the new role and its contribution qualitiative interviews. The data collected to inform the 2014 annual report provides high level insight into implementation of the CNCI and shows that: the CNCI is implemented across 20 DHBs using four delivery models that reflect DHBs’ existing cancer care structures and population profile CNCs have an important role in the treatment team and contribute to improving communication between health professionals about patient care CNCs are seen to be contributing to a more coordinated patient journey and making a difference to patients and their family/whanau. The evaluation provider is looking at enhancing the data collection tools to further improve data quality for the 2015 annual report

    The Use of Chinese-language Internet Information about Cancer by Chinese Health Consumers

    Get PDF
    We investigated the use of Chinese-language Internet information about cancer by Chinese health consumers, and its impact on their cancer care. We applied a grounded theory approach and undertook semi-structured interviews with 20 participants in China to learn their experience of using the Internet for cancer information as a patient or a family member. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified three key themes: (1) information needs evolve during the treatment journey; (2) Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and adverse effects of treatment are the topics of greatest interest; and (3) most participants have encountered Internet health information with questionable quality. These findings suggest that although Internet has great potential to empower Chinese cancer patients and their family through cancer care journey, the information quality issues, cultural considerations and current health care paradigm constrain this potential. Further research is needed to address these issues in improving cancer care in China

    Stress levels during the journey of cancer treatment

    Get PDF
    A patient’s journey with cancer may cause psychological disorders or exacerbate existing conditions. The field of psycho-oncology has found ways to link psychological disorders to cancer and research the effects of mental disorders on patient outcome and wellbeing. This review looked at current literature in the field of psycho-oncology to understand how the stress level changes during the patient’s treatment journey. A search was performed to identify relevant published articles on electronic databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science. The results demonstrate a direct link between cancer diagnosis and increased stress, depression and anxiety within patients, not as medication side-effects. These levels reduce over time, mainly due to patient acceptance coupled with either improved prognosis, or acceptance of death. Stress is complex and can precipitate a range of psychological disorders. Early psychological, counselling and even in some cases coaching interventions, could work preventively to help cancer patients more effectively to manage their stress, thereby promoting their greater wellbeing. Additionally, early diagnosis of mental disorders is crucial to improving long-term outcomes, therefore, the need for adequate psychological screening services in oncology patients for mental illness should be routine practice

    Cutting the research pie: a value-weighting approach to explore perceptions about psychosocial research priorities for adults with haematological cancers

    Get PDF
    Despite the burden of illness associated with haematological cancers, little research is available about improving psychosocial outcomes for this group. Given scarce research funds, it is important to ensure that resources are used strategically for improving their psychosocial well-being. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of professionals, patients and carers regarding prioritising psychosocial research efforts. First, an expert panel's views on priorities for research were identified. This was followed by a web survey to obtain the perceptions of 117 health professionals, patients and carers. The value-weighting survey used points allocation, allowing respondents to indicate the relative priority of each option. A substantial proportion of resources were allocated to patients who were newly diagnosed or receiving treatment. Less priority was given to other stages of the cancer journey or non-patient populations. There was no indication that any type of psychosocial research was a priority; however, some differences were identified when comparing the priorities of the three respondent groups. To improve psychosocial outcomes for haematological cancer patients, resources should be directed towards patients in the early stages of the cancer journey. There may be a need for research investigating potential interventions to improve psychosocial outcomes for patients with haematological cancers

    Norton Healthcare: A Strong Payer-Provider Partnership for the Journey to Accountable Care

    Get PDF
    Examines the progress of an integrated healthcare delivery system in forming an accountable care organization with payer partners as part of the Brookings-Dartmouth ACO Pilot Program, including a focus on performance measurement and reporting

    Which interval is most crucial to presentation and survival in gastroesophageal cancer: a systematic review

    Get PDF
    Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the most crucial interval to encourage earlier diagnosis in with gastroesophageal cancer and to identify potential factors effecting this interval. Background: Gastroesophageal malignancy is the eighth most commonly presenting cancer with one of the worst survival rates. Identifying the most crucial period for intervention to inform earlier diagnosis is an important step towards improving survival. Design: Mixed methods literature review. Data Sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE and Academic search primer online databases were searched using keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Empirical evidence published between 2000–2016 with a focus on gastroesophageal cancer presentation and survival was reviewed to inform this study. Review methods: Twelve studies were extracted for further review. Selected studies were appraised and presented through Olensen's “delay interval” framework to inform the most crucial interval to survival in gastroesophageal cancer. Results: The findings identify the patient interval as the most critical period for encouraging earlier presentation and reducing advanced stage presentation in gastroesophageal cancer. The article also highlighted some methodological limitations to cancer research, such as a lack of consensus in definitions which prevent statistical meta-analysis of cancer data, survivor bias in gastroesophageal cancer studies and a significant lack of qualitative evidence to reveal patient experience in presenting with this cancer. Conclusion: Further research into the patient interval is required to elicit information on how and why patients present with their cancer symptoms

    An evaluation of the 'Living with Cancer' project: Using neuro-linguistic programming techniques to maximise the coping strategies of carers and patients living with cancer in Ellesmere Port

    Get PDF
    The 'Living with cancer' project aimed to improve communication, relationship, and coping skills of health professionals, cancer patients and their carers in Ellesmere Port. The project delivered NLP Diploma training to 55 health professionals between April 2001-March 2004.Commissioned by Chester and Halton NHS Trust and funded through the New Opportunities Fund

    Patient perspectives on delays in diagnosis and treatment of cancer: a qualitative analysis of free-text data

    Get PDF
    Background: Earlier cancer diagnosis is crucial in improving cancer survival. The International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Module 4 (ICBP4) is a quantitative survey study that explores the reasons for delays in diagnosis and treatment of breast, colorectal, lung, and ovarian cancer. To further understand the associated diagnostic processes, it is also important to explore the patient perspectives expressed in the free-text comments. Aim: To use the free-text data provided by patients completing the ICBP4 survey to augment the understanding of patients’ perspectives of their diagnostic journey. Design and setting: Qualitative analysis of the free-text data collected in Wales between October 2013 and December 2014 as part of the ICBP4 survey. Newly-diagnosed patients with either breast, ovarian, colorectal, or lung cancer were identified from registry data and then invited by their GPs to participate in the survey. Method: A thematic framework was used to analyse the free-text comments provided at the end of the ICBP4 survey. Of the 905 patients who returned a questionnaire, 530 included comments. Results: The free-text data provided information about patients’ perspectives of the diagnostic journey. Analysis identified factors that acted as either barriers or facilitators at different stages of the diagnostic process. Some factors, such as screening, doctor–patient familiarity, and private treatment, acted as both barriers and facilitators depending on the context. Conclusion: Factors identified in this study help to explain how existing models of cancer diagnosis (for example, the Pathways to Treatment Model) work in practice. It is important that clinicians are aware of how these factors may interact with individual clinical cases and either facilitate, or act as a barrier to, subsequent cancer diagnosis. Understanding and implementing this knowledge into clinical practice may result in quicker cancer diagnoses

    Exploring colorectal cancer patients' perceptions of the quality of their care

    Get PDF
    This report discusses the local situation in Halton with regard to colorectal cancer care by exploring how patients perceived the quality of their care.Widnes Primary Care Grou
    corecore