The Role of CIS in Enabling Informed Decision Making
Marion E. Morra, M.A.
Montreal 2012
Need for Informed Decision Making in Cancer
• Importance• Patients, family members need
information• Right questions to ask
• Challenging• Complex medical information• Uncertainty regarding disease its
treatments and their outcomes
Benefits of Informed Decision Making in Cancer
• Benefits both patients and health professionals• Compromises care delivery and patient
satisfaction (Back AL, Arnold RM, Tulsky JA et al. Teaching communication skills to medical oncology fellows. JClinc Oncol 21:2433-2436)
• Relationship between quality of physician-patient communication and variety of outcomes, including• Symptom management, adherence to
treatment, accrual to clinical trials (Perocchia FS, Kodorowski JK, Williams LA, et al. Patient Centered Communication in Cancer Care: Role of the CIS. J Cancer Education DOI; 10.1007/s13187-010-0121-y)
Other Providers of Information
• Impact care and health outcomes• Play pivotal role in decision making• Facilitate access to information• Provide decision aids and other
resources• Preserve patient-doctor relationship
Cancer Information Service (CIS) as a Provider
• One-on-one personalized interaction with trained information specialist (phone, e-mail, social media)
• Provides evidence-based, up to date information; not medical advice
• Supports doctor-patient relationship• Helps patient, family members understand
and make decisions based on his/her preferences and values
Lessons we’ve learned
• It’s a small, small world … sharing best practices and expertise
• Well-trained staff who can give credible, accurate, up to date information
• Opportunity for patients and family members to share fears and doubts with someone who can listen and answer their questions
• Working side by side with health professionals
Lessons learned
• Measuring quality is essential, external and internal
• External: Satisfaction and actions, patients, families
• Internal performance measures– Meeting caller’s needs – Information: accurate, complete, address
caller’s needs, concerns
Lessons learned
• Assessment: complete, tailored to the caller’s needs and questions
• Caller’s understanding: checked? Technical terms explained?
• Organization: information communicated in an organized, logical manner? In a professional, credible, empathetic way?
Resources
• Marion Morra: [email protected]• ICISG e-mail: [email protected]• ICISG Website: www.icisg.org
• Tool box for program operations• Using social media in Cancer Information
Services