2. CREATING TREATMENT OPTION TOOLKITS FOR CANCER PATIENTS
The Need: People go from busy over committed members of the community to “cancer patients” in the span of one short office visit. As they struggle to come to terms with a cancer diagnosis, several critical decisions need to be made in a relatively short amount of time. Next steps require major life choices and there are no simple answers.
Attempting to function while experiencing shock, fear, and the need to decide about treatments, people often endure emotional, physical and cognitive overload that may result in decisional conflict which compounds their problem. How will patients make these choices and what support exists to assist them during this period? Making an informed decision is imperative but difficult.
The Solution: CISN proposes a bold new approach that benefits both patients and the medical professionals caring for them through a toolkit that can be used from diagnosis through follow-up care and beyond. The toolkit helps patients sort through the cancer maze and arrive at the most informed decisions for their health care. Toolkits can be customized for a variety of disease sites and populations.
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