Cancer care quality measurement and system change may serve as a case example for larger possibilities in the health care system related to other diseases. Cancer care quality gaps and variation exist across both technical and patient-centered cancer quality measures, especially among vulnerable populations. There is a need to develop ...

The primary purpose of this study was to cross-sectionally examine breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema self-care education, self-care practices, and perceived self-care barriers, burdens, and benefits. We also explored the associations among self-care education, practices, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer survivors with known lymphedema. A cross-sectional design ...

KIDD L., FORBAT L., KOCHEN M. & KEARNEY N. (2010) European Journal of Cancer Care20, 212-219 The supportive care needs of carers of people affected by cancer stationed in British Forces Germany Carers are central to the effective support of people affected by cancer. Little is known however about the ...

Patient navigation (PN) programs are being widely implemented to reduce disparities in cancer care for racial/ethnic minorities and the poor. However, few systematic studies cogently describe the processes of PN. We qualitatively analyzed 21 transcripts of semistructured exit interviews with three navigators about their experiences with patients who completed a ...

Although it is widely recognised that better coordination of cancer care holds considerable potential to improve patients' experience of care and their outcomes, there is no agreed definition of the term 'care coordination' or consensus as to what it entails. An explorative descriptive qualitative study was undertaken to explore the ...

MARRIS S., MORGAN S. & STARK D. (2010) European Journal of Cancer Care20, 145-151 'Listening to Patients': what is the value of age-appropriate care to teenagers and young adults with cancer? Current healthcare policy increasingly recognises the importance of patient experience in determining care. The 2005 UK National Institute for ...

Diarrhea is common after colorectal surgery, but its severity and self-care methods have not been examined in depth. To understand changes in and factors influencing diarrhea distress and self-care strategies of patients 1 week and 1, 2, and 3 months after colorectal cancer surgery. For this descriptive, longitudinal study, 35 ...

While nearly three-quarters of cancer mortalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, we know little about the factors contributing to patient delays in seeking care for cancer. Our study employs a multifactorial approach by examining three key areas: patient socio-demographic factors, structural factors of health-care access and cancer patients' beliefs ...

This study aims to explore and examine experiences and perceptions of follow-up care (medical and psychosocial) after active treatment for breast cancer among women living outside major Australian cities. Twenty-five semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted. Participants also completed a brief questionnaire to collect demographic, diagnosis, and treatment information. Interviews were ...

In March 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. This legislation attempts to address cost control and improve the quality of healthcare in the United States. Cancer is a major health problem in the United States ...

To describe selected components of pediatric palliative care from diagnosis to cure or end of life that combine to help nurses and other clinicians achieve goals of care for children with cancer and their families. Published articles. Pediatric palliative care is characterized by diversity of care delivery models; effect of ...

Lung cancer is a disease with high consumption of health care resources. The aim of this study was to describe hospital costs due to lung cancer care from diagnosis until death or end of the study follow-up, in a cohort of incident cases, by using administrative data. Particular attention was ...

Since health care in the United States is fragmented and expensive, 1 reform option focuses on improving care coordination as in the medical home model. To better understand care coordination in the context of prostate cancer we examined how the delivery of prostate cancer care is partitioned across primary care ...

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of symptoms, psychological distress, and supportive care needs and factors related to five unmet need domains in lung cancer patients. A cross-sectional study of 152 lung cancer patients at a medical center in Taiwan assessed their symptoms, psychological distress, and ...

It is important to maintain high-quality cancer care while reducing spending. This requires an understanding of how stakeholders define "quality." The objective of this literature review was to understand the perceptions patients, physicians, and managed care professionals have about quality cancer care, especially chemotherapy. A computerized literature search was conducted ...

The discrepancy between patients' preferred and actual place of death highlights the dilemma inherent in achieving their preferences for home death. Research on determinants of home death has been limited largely by focusing on individual-level factors and somewhat on health care resources at the primary hospital and regional levels. To ...

CASE STUDY: Jane is a 50-year-old single mother of a 13-year-old son. She has been fighting colon cancer for over 2 years. She has been through two recurrences with metastatic disease and was recently informed that she has progression once again and curative treatment options are limited. Her progressive treatment ...

Research suggests that patients' end-of-life (EOL) care is determined primarily by the medical resources available, and not by patient preferences. The authors examined whether patients' desire for life-extending therapy was associated with their EOL care. Coping with Cancer is a multisite, prospective, longitudinal study of patients with advanced cancer. Three ...

Objective: An American Psychosocial Oncology Society workgroup has developed indicators of the quality of psychosocial care that can be measured through review of medical records. The present report describes the first large-scale use of these indicators to evaluate psychosocial care in outpatient medical oncology settings. Methods: Medical records of 1660 ...

This consensus-based position statement on behalf of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance (Alliance) offers recommendations to enhance oncologic care of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer. In 2005 to 2006, the National Cancer Institute and the Lance Armstrong Foundation jointly sponsored the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Progress ...

Phase 1 trials offer patients with advanced cancer the opportunity to pursue life-prolonging cancer treatments. In the current study, the timing of referral and symptom burden between patients referred to palliative care by phase 1 oncologists and those referred by non-phase 1 oncologists were compared. All 57 patients with advanced ...

Given that such a substantial proportion of oncology patients have advanced and/or incurable cancer oncologists invariably face enormous challenges in maintaining or improving the quality of life of this cohort of their practice. The provision of supportive and palliative care for these patients is a core element of quality cancer ...

This paper describes a psycho-oncology consultation model of care (POCM) that provides a framework for psychosocial clinical work with cancer patients. Goals for care are addressed that follow the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine report advocating care for the "whole patient." Specific goals include reducing distress and symptoms, building ...

The role of the breast care nurse was developed in the UK and is now being adopted internationally. Although evidence is available to suggest that the role is beneficial in the care of women with primary breast cancer, it is emerging that women with metastatic breast cancer do not receive ...

At present, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains an incurable disease, with the goals of care aimed at maximizing the patient's duration and quality of life. Treatment options for a patient with MBC have become more efficacious and numerous. In addition to endocrine and chemotherapy agents, a number of targeted agents, ...

This retrospective study aimed to compare noncancer deaths with cancer deaths in the following: 1) utilization of the public health care system in the last six months of life; 2) end-of-life care received; and 3) documentation of the advance care planning (ACP) process. The following sample was recruited from the ...

To assess patients' experiences with cancer care, ratings of their quality of care, and correlates of these assessments. For 4,093 patients with lung cancer and 3,685 patients with colorectal cancer in multiple US regions and health care delivery systems, we conducted telephone surveys of patients or their surrogates in English, ...

Close collaboration between the cancer care team service and the psychiatric consultation service is recommended to provide adequate comprehensive care to cancer patients. In Japan, specialized palliative care teams work in conjunction with consultation-liaison psychiatrists as an essential members. There are, however, few studies reporting on these services. We obtained ...

Emotional burden on oncology care workers is considerable. These workers develop confidential relationship with the patient through interpersonal communication, which entails managing their own emotions as well as the emotions displayed by their patients, and it involves a great deal of emotion work. The objectives in our study were to ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review is to examine the relationship between multidisciplinary cancer care and patient survival. METHODS: A literature review was undertaken between January 1950 and September 2009. Included studies described multidisciplinary cancer care and its relation to patient survival. Multidisciplinary care was defined as involvement ...

To examine the important role that primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) have in providing long-term surveillance and health maintenance for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors throughout the continuum of cancer care. MEDLINE, CINAHL, MD-Consult, and Cochrane's databases were utilized with the inclusion of primary research and critical research reviews ...

BACKGROUND: Treatment of older cancer patients at the end of life has become increasingly aggressive, despite the absence of evidence for better outcomes. We compared aggressiveness of end-of-life care of older metastatic cancer patients treated in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and those under fee-for-service Medicare arrangements. METHODS: Using propensity ...

Internationally, family physicians (FP) are not routinely involved in young adult cancer (YAC) care. In this short report, we would like to make a compelling argument for primary care involvement. Comparative descriptions and literature review. Cancer among YAs is rare and usually not the first thing that comes into the ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The psychological and oncological care needs of patients with cancer and an adequate structure for their medical care have so far been only marginally considered with regard to disparities in patients' residence (rural or urban). Even though there are thought to be such differences, for example with ...

In the UK, cancer care is managed via multidisciplinary teams (MDT). Core members of these teams are typically surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and clinical nurse specialists (with other health care professionals potentially present). Good teamwork, including team communication and leadership, has been shown to be a prerequisite for safe care ...

The treatment of cancer requires that health care providers and caregivers from many disciplines work together on the intertwined physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of oncology patients. Providing a conceptual framework explaining how the members of multidisciplinary oncology treatment teams may best interact with each other and the patient ...

This correlational and descriptive research examined the Quality of the Dying Process (QDP) in cancer patients. Data were collected from one significant person for each of the 78 patients who had died, using QDP and communication quality questionnaires. The highest QDP scores were found for social experiences related to: the ...

Based on a secondary analysis of data from a large qualitative study on cancer care communication, we address the question: what do patients with advanced cancer identify as helpful in their communication encounters with health care providers? Communication is of critical importance to the care of patients with advanced cancer. ...

An effective response to the impending shortage of oncology services will require different actions from governmental bodies, academic cancer center leaders, medical societies, and community oncology providers.

BACKGROUND: Many oral cancer patients experience profound anxiety and supportive care needs during the diagnostic phase. OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to (1) examine and compare levels of disease impact, symptom distress, supportive care needs, and prevalence of unmet care needs in oral cancer patients with and without ...

The core of healthcare quality is continuous improvement of processes and results. For cancer patients, psychosocial care can affect overall outcomes. In this article, we outline the efforts that a national comprehensive cancer center is using to bring psychosocial care to the same level of awareness, importance, and integration as ...

Personalized medical care has been consistently proven in literature as contributing to the maintenance of psychological balance and quality of life in patients suffering from chronic conditions. However, limited research has investigated the role of personalized approach in improving these parameters in patients with advanced incurable diseases. The scope of ...

Compelling public interest is propelling national efforts to advance the evidence base for cancer treatment and control measures and to transform the way in which evidence is aggregated and applied. Substantial investments in health information technology, comparative effectiveness research, health care quality and value, and personalized medicine support these efforts ...

BACKGROUND: In 2007 the Dutch Cancer Society formed a 'Quality of Cancer Care' taskforce comprising medical specialists, from all disciplines involved in the care for cancer patients. This taskforce was charged with the evaluation of quality of cancer care in the Netherlands and the development of strategies for improvement. OBJECTIVE: ...

Patient-physician communication about cost when making treatment decisions has been promoted as a potential solution to the rising cost of oncologic care and suggested as an important component of high-quality oncologic care. However, little is known regarding the perspectives of patients with cancer on such discussions with their physicians. A ...

PURPOSE: Most men live with rather than die of prostate cancer. As a result, survivors have a protracted course, harboring considerable clinical and economic implications. Thus, we investigated the extent to which health service use and expenditures vary during continuing prostate cancer care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 105,961 patients ...

BACKGROUND: The issues involved in transition from pediatric cancer care to adult-focused care differ from those in other childhood diseases, because malignant disease itself is no longer a problem. However, the potential for fatal outcome places a greater dependence on the pediatric oncology setting and delays this transition process, often ...

OBJECTIVE: The increasing number of breast cancer survivors and the complexity of follow-up care make the provision of high-quality survivorship care a challenge. This study explored the follow-up practices of health professionals and their attitudes to alternative models such as shared care and the use of a survivorship care plan. ...

The aim of this study was to document physicians' perceptions of cancer care for elderly patients within an oncogeriatric coordination pilot unit (UPCOG) created in Paris, France. We focused on how physicians apply new cancer care practices, how they establish new teamwork, and their experience of oncogeriatrics in everyday practice. ...

There are approximately 300,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the United States, and most of them receive their medical care from primary care physicians. Adult survivors of childhood cancer are at considerable risk of long-term morbidity and mortality beyond the recurrence of their primary malignancy. Late adverse effects can impair ...