This message comes from Ashlee Jones, our dedicated nurse navigator specializing in melanoma and sarcoma. She is held in high regard by our entire team, including nurses, pharmacists, staff, research professionals, and physicians! I’ve consistently believed that patients newly diagnosed with cancer may face a challenging beginning to their journey, given the unfamiliar diagnosis, the variety of initial tests, new appointments with specialists, and insurance issues. This can be particularly overwhelming, especially in a large, multi-institutional hospital setting. Our navigators play a crucial role in assisting patients by simplifying the process from the initial clinic visit to the commencement of their first treatment.
A new cancer diagnosis comes with many questions for a patient-
Why did I get cancer?
Has it spread?
What is going to happen to me?
Can I be cured?
The answers to these questions often become an overwhelming amount of new information that patients must try to sift through while they deal with the trauma of the diagnosis itself. In addition to all the information a patient receives at their oncology appointments, they also have the opinions and advice of friends and family members, as well as information they find in their own internet searches, which may or may not come from reliable sources. The sum of all of this can amount to information overload for the oncology patient, which increases anxiety and makes decision-making more difficult for patients.
Members of the care team are the most important sources of information for the oncology patient and should take care to present information in a such a way to increase patient understanding and avoid overwhelming the patient. All patients need the most basic information- diagnosis, stage, treatment options- but how much information each patient wants or can comprehend may vary greatly. It is important to choose relevant information for the specific patient, break it down into manageable pieces, and watch the patient’s reactions to assess for understanding versus overload.
Helpful strategies when delivering information to patients include-
- Allowing ample time for patients to ask questions during an appointment, as well as providing a resource for the patient to contact with further questions after the appointment, such as a nurse navigator
- Recapping the important points of the conversation
- Writing the information down for the patients so they can go over it after the appointment
- Providing written education materials regarding treatment options
- Circling back during a future appointment or having a member of the care team reach out to the patient after an appointment to answer questions or recap information given
Patients are ultimately the decision makers when it comes to cancer treatment, and anxiety and confusion caused by information overload can make these decisions more difficult for the patient. Ensuring adequate patient education and understanding is crucial to aid their decision-making process and can greatly impact patient outcomes.