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: morram@earthlink.net• ICISG e-mail: info@icisg.org• ICISG Website: www.icisg.org

• Tool box for program operations• Using social media in Cancer Information

Services