The importance of family caregivers on a cancer journey

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Nana I Ohkawa, (808) 564-5911
Dir. of Communications, University of Hawaii Cancer Center
Posted: Mar 30, 2020


A University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center study found the presence of a family caregiver created positive perceptions of care coordination from cancer patients. Care coordination is the organization and management of a patient’s healthcare services and care delivery, from scheduling visits with oncologists to facilitating communication between providers and patients.

"The cancer caregiver is the unsung hero on a cancer journey. With little thought of self, the family caregiver propels him or herself into this role unexpectedly and with little or no training. Recognizing the family caregiver as an integral part of the patient care team will have a great impact in the ability to deliver high-quality care," said George and Jeannie Stewart with Compassion for Cancer Caregivers and members of the UH Cancer Center’s Community Advisory Board.

The study, "Assessing Patients' Perception of Cancer Care Coordination in a Community-based Setting," published in JCO Oncology Practice, a journal by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, highlighted how family members of cancer patients are increasingly being relied on to assume informal caregiving duties and responsibilities of providing critical assistance and management of a patient’s healthcare needs.

A novel care coordination instrument was used to examine the perception of cancer care coordination among the study’s 200 Hawai‘i cancer patients receiving active therapy. The 29-item patient questionnaire, validated in prior studies based at the UH Cancer Center, assesses care coordination across varied practice settings and patient populations.

“We found that having a family caregiver for outpatient oncology care is an important component of well-coordinated care,” said Randall Holcombe, UH Cancer Center director and principal investigator of the study. “This may be because care coordination-related tasks fall on the family member rather than the patient. The inclusion of a family caregiver in the care coordination process may be key to improving cancer care coordination and health care delivery for the patient.”

“Health systems are increasingly emphasizing patient-centered approaches to treat individuals, rather than diseases. It will be useful to develop innovative ways to provide care coordination support informed by patients and their families,” said Izumi Okado, UH Cancer Center postdoctoral research fellow and lead author of the study.

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About the UH Cancer Center

The University of Hawai'i Cancer Center through its various activities, cancer trial patients and their guests, and other visitors adds more than $54 million to the O‘ahu economy. It is one of only 71 research institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute. Affiliated with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Center is dedicated to eliminating cancer through research, education, patient care and community outreach with an emphasis on the unique ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawai'i and the Pacific. Learn more at www.uhcancercenter.org. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UHCancerCenter. Follow us on Twitter @UHCancerCenter.

For more information, visit: http://www.uhcancercenter.org