Article

Implementing the Commission on Cancer Standards for Survivorship Care Plans

Carrie Stricker

Michele O'Brien

survivorship, care plan, Commission on Cancer
CJON 2014, 18(1), 15-22. DOI: 10.1188/14.CJON.S1.15-22

The number of adult cancer survivors in the United States has exceeded 13 million and continues to rise, yet care for these survivors continues to be poorly coordinated and their needs remain inadequately addressed. As one solution to this growing problem, the Institute of Medicine in 2006 recommended the delivery of a survivorship care plan (SCP) to each patient completing active treatment. The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer subsequently published its Program Standard 3.3, requiring accredited programs to implement treatment summaries and SCPs by 2015, to help improve communication, quality, and coordination of care for cancer survivors. As practices and cancer centers around the country have undertaken SCP implementation efforts, myriad barriers to their preparation and delivery have emerged, with time and human resource burden top among these, in addition to a lack of proven outcomes. Fortunately, a growing number of publications document practical and feasible delivery models, and an increasingly robust body of research on stakeholder preferences is available to focus SCP implementation efforts.

Jump to a section

    References

    American College of Surgeons. (2012). Cancer program standards 2012: Ensuring patient-centered care. American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Retrieved from http://www.facs.org/cancer/coc/programstandards2012.pdf
    Grant, M., Economou, D., & Ferrell, B. R. (2010). Oncology nurse participation in survivorship care. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 14, 709-715. doi:10.1188/10.CJON.709-715
    Hewitt, M., Greenfield, S., & Stovall, E. (Eds.). (2005). From cancer patient to cancer survivor: Lost in transition. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
    Livestrong Foundation. (2012). Essential elements of survivorship care: A LIVESTRONG brief. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.org/What-We-Do/Our-Approach/Reports-Findings/Essential-Elements-Brief
    Mariotto, A. B., Yabroff, K. R., Shao, Y., Feuer, E. J., & Brown, M. L. (2011). Projections of the cost of cancer in the United States: 2010-2020. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 103, 117-128. doi:10.1093/jnci/djq495
    Mullen, F. (1985). Seasons of survival: Reflections of a physician with cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 313, 270-273.
    National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. (n.d.). Our mission. Retrieved from http://www.canceradvocacy.org/about-us/our-mission
    Ness, S., Kokal, J., Fee-Schroeder, K., Novotny, T., Satele, D., & Barton, D. (2013). Concerns across the survivorship trajectory: Results from a survey of cancer survivors. Oncology Nursing Forum, 40, 35-42. doi:10.1188/13.ONF.35-42
    O'Brien, M. R., Ness, K. K., Anderson, C. J., Sborov, M. D., & Foster, J. D. (2013). A computerized tool to support survivorship care. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 4, 66-68.
    Oeffinger, K. C., & McCabe, M. S. (2006). Models for delivering survivorship care. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 24, 5117-5124.
    Oncology Rehab Partners. (2013). STAR program® certification. Retrieved from http://www.oncologyrehabpartners.com/star-certifications/star-program
    Webster, K., Cella, D., & Yost, K. (2003). The functional assessment of chronic illness therapy (FACIT) measurement system: Properties, applications, and interpretation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 1, 79. doi:10.1186/1477-7525-1-79