To take inspired action requires awareness…and both are part of the path to empowerment. The entire equation is:
(Awareness + Education) + Inspired Action = Empowerment
For survivors to have access to a cancer survivorship care plan, you must know:
- how they can help you navigate survivorship
- the key components
- how to ask for one if you don’t have it yet
- ways to get support and accountability to follow through on the guidelines it provides
My mission for 2013 is to exponentially increase survivors’ awareness of the value of survivorship care plans, what they include and how to self-advocate for one in a way that enrolls, not offends, your medical team. I will be posting on this topic throughout the year to help you get the scoop on those what you need to knows. To get you started, here is some important background information and links to resources…because knowledge is power and the doorway to choice and action!
In 2005, the Institute of Medicine released From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition . This nearly 200 page report, the third installment of a series of studies focusing on cancer survivorship care planning, evaluated the current state of survivorship care and generated one of the first set of recommended guidelines including the creation of a care plan for each survivor.
The NCI Cancer Bulletin in June 2012, wrote an update evaluating the progress of survivorship care relative to standards recommended by the Institute of Medicine. According to the article, many survivors do not receive care plans even though there is an increasing call and effort to make them a standard of care for survivors. Even those plans provided reportedly often fail to include many of the recommended elements.
Between now and February 28, 2013 you can register for FREE for the Go Forth & Thrive After Cancer Telesummit and download my interview (and many more great ones) Cancer Survivorship Care Planning ~ A Blueprint for Thriving.
Here are some Additional Resources:
Patient-Centered Cancer Treatment Planning: Improving the Quality of Oncology Care
Cancer Survivorship: Today and Tomorrow
Survivorship Care Plan Builder by Journey Forward
ASCO Cancer Treatment Summaries
