In April of 2007, OncoLink launched the OncoLife Survivorship Care Plan, a device to create care plans for individuals who have survived most cancers. As that device reaches the milestone of 100,000 care plans created, OncoLink’s Managing Editor, Carolyn Vachani, explains what a survivorship care plan actually is – and isn’t.
In 2006, The Institute of Drugs (IOM) put out a report known as From Most cancers Affected person to Most cancers Survivor: Misplaced in Transition. This report was the primary to actually shine a lightweight on what life after a most cancers prognosis and remedy appears to be like like and the numerous methods the healthcare system was failing these survivors. One piece of the report that received lots of consideration was the advice that each one survivors obtain 2 issues on the completion of remedy: a remedy abstract and a survivorship care plan (SCP). Over time, the excellence between these has develop into blurred. However make no bones about it, these are 2 distinctly totally different paperwork which are essential in their very own means.
What’s a remedy abstract?
The primary aim of a remedy abstract is so that you can have a file of the most cancers therapies you have got had. It ought to embrace:
- Any surgical procedure for the most cancers.
- Radiation remedy (with location and dose).
- Any medical therapies akin to chemotherapy (together with doses), immune remedy, and hormone remedy.
- Every other most cancers therapies akin to interventional radiology remedy.
- Pathology data and molecular testing outcomes.
- Ideally, the abstract may also embrace any considerations you had throughout remedy akin to reactions, toxicities, or remedy delays.
I consider this doc as “provider-facing” – that means it’s most essential to healthcare suppliers—all of them, not simply these in most cancers care. This consists of giving a replica of this abstract to your main care supplier. Don’t get me unsuitable, you must have this doc in your information to have the ability to present it to any future healthcare suppliers or reference it if questions come up. However you doubtless wish to know extra, and that is the place the SCP is available in to play.
What’s a survivorship care plan?
The IOM had lofty targets for the SCP – and rightfully so! They needed this doc to be your information as you progress from frequent oncology appointments to survivorship and self-advocacy in your healthcare. The SCP ought to present:
- Details about long-term and late results of all of the therapies you bought.
- Plans for comply with up care.
- Acceptable screening for different cancers.
- Signs to report back to your supplier.
- Wholesome dwelling suggestions.
- Assets for sensible considerations like fertility, insurance coverage, employment and dealing with life after most cancers.
The SCP is the “patient-facing” doc of this pair. Together with all of this data provides you a useful resource information – one thing you may seek advice from through the years to get some steerage on a present concern. Oncology suppliers already know this data – however our sufferers and their caregivers don’t. That’s what makes an intensive SCP so essential. We can’t count on our most cancers graduates to advocate for their very own healthcare with out this data.
In lots of circumstances, a survivor’s main care supplier doesn’t know this data both. Who’s in danger for cardiac (coronary heart) points, hypothyroidism or bone well being considerations resulting from most cancers remedy is just not high of thoughts for a PCP. However an informed affected person can convey that data to them. For this reason OncoLife additionally offers a “Healthcare Supplier Abstract” model of the SCP – it’s meant to be given to your non-oncology suppliers as a reference for future wants.
I hope this remedy abstract and SCP 101 provides you some perception into the significance of SCPs in serving to survivors handle the transition to life after most cancers. I additionally hope it provides you the nudge to get one. When you haven’t acquired an SCP out of your supplier, ask them for one. If they can’t present you one, you’ll be able to create one on OncoLink. A remedy abstract is useful, however data, schooling, and tricks to handle challenges you could expertise after remedy are important in your well being and well-being.
Carolyn Vachani is an oncology superior observe nurse and the Managing Editor at OncoLink. She has labored in lots of areas of oncology together with BMT, scientific analysis, radiation remedy, and workers growth. She serves because the venture chief within the growth and upkeep of the OncoLife Survivorship Care Plan and has a powerful curiosity in oncology survivorship care. She enjoys discussing nearly any most cancers matter, in addition to gardening, cooking and, after all, her sons.
