RCP report: Cancer patients in crisis- responding to urgent needs

 RCP report: Cancer patients in crisis- responding to urgent needs 

Index Summary:

Introduction
Background
The objectives
The patients
The patient’s journey
The professionals
Methodology ........

Box 1 Guide to the report

The aim of this report is to promote patient-centred care, improve clinical practice, and support physician education and training. It is addressed to all professionals who encounter the acutely unwell patient with cancer in any setting and the commissioners of services.

• The executive summary is intended as a stand-alone document to provide an overview and the key recommendations that have been derived from the work.
• Chapter 1 highlights the issues for patients, carers and professionals through the difficulties that individuals have encountered.
• Clinical decision making is the focus of three main sections. One relates to the patient in a community setting (Chapter 2) and the second to the patient presenting to acute care services (Chapter 3). There are themes common to both, with necessary repetition so that each can be
used separately by community-based and acute care-based teams. Chapter 4 discusses principles of shared decision making with the patient, including situations where capacity is in question. All
these principles highlight key points to be considered and promote contingency planning for emergencies. A patient-held tool for emergency planning has been developed by the patient and carer representatives, with input from other groups (see Appendix 4). Decision aids for use by
professionals in the community and acute settings are given in Appendix 3.
• The risks associated with development of an acute problem for patients with cancer are reviewed in
Chapter 5. Proposals for standards of care and some suggestions for quality measures are outlined.
• Implications for education and training are detailed in Chapter 6.