Increasing numbers of cancer survivors prompt scientists to test new models of care

Union

Doctors and scientists study the development of guidelines for cancer survivors

Doctors and scientists develop clinical guidelines for cancer survivors as more and more people live decades after diagnosis, but US report suggests that extra work is needed to improve the quality of medical care brought to survivors of the deadly disease.

More than a decade has pbaded since the US National Academy of Medicine published its 2006 Vital Survivors Report, which encouraged patients to take an interest in cancer care. patients. This report called for changing the way of thinking rather than concentrating on oncology. Throughout life due to malignant tumors, surgical operations, treatments or radiation.

In a report published by the National Cancer Institute, researchers said that many of the recommendations of the 2006 report had not been fully implemented, despite the progress made.

"One of the great successes is the awareness of the challenges post-treatment cancer survivors face, such as body toxicity or premature aging due to chemotherapy, the effects of surgery, and psychological stress." represented, "said Dr. Ron Klein, senior scientist at the Medicare and Medicaid Development Center in Baltimore. Not knowing if the cancer will come back and physical loads due to a treatment that sometimes lasts a long time, perhaps indefinitely. "

"By recognizing these challenges, leaders in the field are developing and testing new models for victim care and demanding quality for the care they receive," he added.

The Klein report states that the National Academy of Medicine's report allowed health care providers to improve service delivery to help patients and their families understand the importance of post-treatment phase.

For example, the report recommends that patients receive health plans after their survival to help with periodic checks and treatments after the completion of the tumor itself, but it is not clear to what extent these plans are actually used or not. if they have improved the results.

Part of the problem, according to the new report, is that there are no clear criteria for badessing or improving the quality of health care provided to victims, as most quality measures are focused on oncology rather than helping victims adjust later to their lives.

The new report adds that physicians are not very committed to training health service providers to the recommendations of the Academy regarding survivor care, despite the development of professional and voluntary institutions to develop health care providers. training programs in this regard.