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Ensuring the Treatment Team Stays Connected

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In today’s complex healthcare system, patients with cancer may receive care from several different providers, including physicians, nurses, technicians, and others. They may also receive care for other medical conditions that may be unrelated to their cancer. When healthcare professionals are not communicating effectively with one another, medical errors can occur and patients can be put at risk.1 Therefore, clear and well-coordinated communication among all healthcare team members is critical, and the treatment of mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL) is no exception.

Effective communication is especially important during certain times in the treatment process, including:

  • Time of diagnosis
  • Whenever things change and new treatment decisions must be made
  • When discussing the results of treatment
  • When patients’ goals of care change
  • When patients make decisions about advance directives, living wills, and end-of-life care.

Sometimes certain members of the treatment team may change or take on a more important role during the process. But are these team members actively communicating with one another about the patient’s care? For example, stem-cell transplant is an option for some patients with MCL. These patients will usually see a transplant specialist in addition to their regular cancer doctor and their primary care doctor. Patients may receive their transplant in a different cancer center or hospital than where they usually receive treatment. In these situations, it is very important that all doctors and other treatment team members communicate to ensure that patient care is coordinated and seamless, and that all treating doctors are aware of changes in the patient’s care plan and next steps.

Patients can help to ensure that their treatment team continues to communicate well by advocating for themselves. For example, it is important to share key medical information with the team at each visit. Some patients do this by bringing a diary or notebook with important updates, questions, and concerns. Patients should also learn the names and dosages of their medications and keep track of their laboratory results. It is important to ask questions to ensure team members are communicating with one another, and not to feel rushed if the doctor or nurse seems busy.

It is also important for patients to tell each doctor about other doctors who care for them, as well as about all of the medications they are taking. For example, if patients have a cardiologist for heart disease or an endocrinologist for diabetes care, they should always notify the cancer care team. Likewise, they should tell their cardiologist or diabetes specialist that they are being treated by an oncologist.

Caregivers can also play a vital role in ensuring that healthcare providers are communicating with one another. They can help to update the nurse or patient navigator, pharmacist, financial advocate, and social worker as treatments change and as new decisions are made. Patients and their caregivers can e-mail their treatment team members through electronic patient portals. Although there are times when an urgent phone call is necessary, many nonurgent questions and needs can be handled electronically.

To provide well-coordinated care for patients with MCL, all healthcare providers involved in a patient’s care must stay fully informed. Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists must be updated on each patient’s medical history and status as they make treatment recommendations. Patients and caregivers can take an active role in ensuring that their care team stays connected.

Reference
O’Daniel M, Rosenstein AH. Professional communication and team collaboration. In: Hughes RG, ed. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008.

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