Survivorship

The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) promotes the goal to share best practices for survivorship and to address the question “Does the Survivorship Care Plan (SCP) Meet Patient Goals?” (Staci Oertle, RN, MSN, APN, AOCNP, AONN+ Survivorship Committee).

Per the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 20 million cancer survivors by 2026.

Survivorship care plans (SCPs) have played an important role in cancer care for over a decade and are included in the quality metrics or accreditation standards of several institutions, including the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (ACS CoC).

Breast cancer survivors often report depression, anxiety, and stress before and after a breast cancer diagnosis.

When patients’ sexual functioning is compromised as a result of cancer treatment, so is their quality of life. Here’s what navigators can do to incorporate sexual preservation into survivorship care.

“Care of the cancer survivor should include prevention, surveillance, assessment of late effects and intervention for consequences of cancer and treatment.”

Advance care planning (ACP) is central to patient-centered care and improves alignment between patient preferences and care received at end-of-life.

A recent needs assessment for Camden County, NJ, shows that residents’ compliance with cancer screening recommendations for colon (65%), breast (73%), and cervical (74%) cancers does not meet Healthy People 2020 guidelines.

Palliative care is a collaborative approach that improves quality of life for patients and families but is often provided too late.

The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) promotes the goal to share best practices for survivorship and to address the question “Does the Survivorship Care Plan (SCP) meet patient goals?” (Staci Oertle, RN, MSN, APN, AOCNP, AONN+ Survivorship Committee).