Innovation in survivor care: group visits

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Healthcare Delivery Innovation
• Patient Support Programs

Background:

• Cancer survivorship presents unique, ongoing healthcare needs.
• Traditional follow-up care models may not fully address survivors' psychosocial and long-term health requirements.
• Cancer centers face challenges in resource allocation for both new diagnoses and long-term survivor management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the Centering Cancer Survivorship (CCS) program as an innovative model for breast cancer follow-up care.
• To assess the potential of the CCS program to meet the needs of cancer survivors and cancer centers.
• To explore the benefits of a multidisciplinary, group visit model for breast cancer survivorship.

Main Methods:

• Piloted the Centering Cancer Survivorship (CCS) program within a breast cancer clinic.
• Implemented a multidisciplinary clinic utilizing a group visit medical model for breast cancer survivors.
• Focused on providing psychological support, health promotion, recurrence surveillance, and patient empowerment through survivorship care plans.

Main Results:

• The CCS program offers a structured approach to psychological support, health promotion, and late effects surveillance.
• Patient empowerment is fostered through the creation of personalized breast cancer survivorship care plans.
• The group visit model facilitates health assessment, education, and peer social support within a multidisciplinary setting.

Conclusions:

• The Centering Cancer Survivorship (CCS) program represents a novel approach to breast cancer follow-up care.
• The group visit model shows promise in addressing the chronic healthcare needs of breast cancer survivors.
• Further evaluation, including cost-benefit analysis, is recommended to validate the program's long-term impact and viability.