Facing a cancer treatment decision?

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The Cancer Support Community and its network of affiliates have offered support, education and hope to people impacted by cancer for nearly 30 years.

Many people with cancer who are facing a significant treatment decision are overwhelmed and do not know what questions to ask their doctor or how to make the best use of the limited time with the physician. Research suggests that assisting these patients in advance of these appointments enables them to ask important questions, benefit from the information provided and engage actively with the physician in treatment decisions. In CSC’s novel decision support counseling program, Open to Options™, a trained Open to Options Specialist meets with the patient either in person or by telephone to help the patient brainstorm a list of personalized questions related to the person’s situation, understanding of the disease and treatment options, and the patient’s goals for treatment. The patient receives a typed list of their questions and concerns that can be shared with the doctor in advance or at the appointment.

In a pilot study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control, Open to Options™ focused on patients with hematological cancers. The data suggest that decision support helps patients reduce distress, anxiety, and decisional regret by asking treatment-related questions of their doctor based upon their preferences and priorities. Physicians responded quite positively to this program citing that it focused their limited time with the patient and improved the dialogue about treatment options. .

In order to reach more people with this vital program, CSC is expanding our Open to Options™ treatment decision counseling model to additional sites—comprising CSC local affiliates and other medical practices including community cancer centers and/or academic treatment centers. We will train and supervise additional professional facilitators (e.g., social workers, psychologists, etc.) to serve as Open to Options Specialists. In the Spring of 2012, CSC launched a toll-free national call center for delivering Open to Options via telephone as part of a broader dissemination strategy.

CSC is the first patient support organization to translate proven decision support research into practice for the benefit of doctors and patients nationwide by:

• Connecting patients with high quality disease management information
• Managing complex decision making required in the face of treatment
• Helping patients develop a written list of questions that they bring to their doctor visit
• Understanding that better patient outcomes occur through better doctor-patient communication
• Giving patients a way to use the doctor’s answers to their questions in a meaningful manner
• Teaching patients a new skill to use in future treatment decision-making situations

For more information about Open to Options™ decision support counseling, please contact Linda Uebel, LISW-S, (937) 223-4117, luebel@cancersupportwesternohio.org