Evaluation of a cancer survivorship protocol: transitioning patients to survivors

This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a survivorship protocol for cancer survivors to improve knowledge about their disease and decrease anxiety. The study included a convenience sample of 30 cancer survivors at an outpatient community cancer center in the southeastern United States following completion of acute oncology treatment. One month after the survivorship protocol was delivered, knowledge about diagnosis, treatments, recommended follow-up, signs of recurrence, and late side effects increased. Anxiety scores were lower one month after the intervention, and satisfaction with the protocol was high. The results demonstrated that the survivorship protocol is a feasible method of educating cancer survivors, supporting the Institute of Medicine's recommendation that strategies for delivering education to cancer survivors are important. Survivors have additional needs that must be addressed following treatment, and a survivorship protocol can provide the knowledge survivors need to participate in their own health care.