Patient Profile
Cancer Center patients' ages range from young adult to elderly. The patients are from a wide range of socioeconomic groups, however many patients have very limited financial resources and limited social support. Cancer patients often have numerous medical co-morbidities that complicate their medical and psychosocial treatment plans as well as their compliance.
Scope and Complexity of Patient Care Needs
Any person whose life has been impacted by cancer, either their own or a loved one's, can tell you how significant and far reaching the stressors associated with it are. Helping the patient and family to cope with the stress related to a cancer diagnosis is the function of the social worker. The oncology social worker views individuals in a holistic way and with a strengths based perspective. They take into account the whole person in his or her environment and through a psychosocial assessment are able to identify individual needs.
For a patient with an initial diagnosis of cancer, meeting with the social worker can provide emotional support; help with decision making, someone to listen to their feelings of anger, fear or sadness, as well as concrete suggestions to help them achieve a sense of control in their lives. For patients with advanced disease, the social worker can provide help with decision making around life/death issues, someone to listen to what they are going through, and support and comfort for both patients and family members. Social workers are system experts and an integral part of the multidisciplinary team providing the following services:
• Psychosocial assessments
• Supportive and adjustment counseling
• Community resources/referrals
• Legal assistance (advanced directives, DNR bracelets)
• Assistance with end of life care
• Strategies to meet patient care needs
• Financial concerns/assistance
• Social Security Disability
• Transportation assistance
• Durable medical equipment needs
• Insurance questions and concerns
• Referrals to local support groups
• Home health and hospice referrals
Extent to Which Care Meets Patients' Needs
An oncology social worker participates in the multidisciplinary meetings when a patient's treatment plan is discussed, contributing an assessment of the patient's needs. Every individual diagnosed with cancer has the right to have at least one social work consult. The patient may choose whether to see the social worker again. Although many cancer patients must cope with multiple environmental barriers in addition to their illness; the benefits of social work intervention can result in improved patient and family adjustment to illness, improved compliance with treatment, and an increased understanding of illness and treatment regimen.
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