Quality Health Care for Cancer Survivors

Abstract

As the chapters in this book illustrate, the knowledge that forms the current fundamentals of quality care for cancer survivors is not the province of a few professions. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Interdisciplinary research and practice can be difficult and costly, but at this point such a diverse perspective is imperative. The chapters in this book clearly illustrate that many researchers and providers from multiple health professions are involved in designing, studying, and providing elements of health care to cancer survivors. Many not involved in cancer survivorship often ask the question, “Isn’t quality care similar to that of any chronic illness such as patients post-bypass surgery or those with arthritis, diabetes or post stroke? What is so unique about cancer?” The answer to this question is that we really do not know at this point. Given the recent growth in numbers of cancer survivors and the projected rise in numbers of cancer survivors in the future, we must empirically determine similarities and differences among various chronic illnesses in terms of patterns of comorbidities, long-term and late effects, function, and well-being in order to provide the proper chronic health care management for these diverse ­illnesses. This is particularly the case because much has been learned about the long-term management of chronic disorders other than cancer. Since surviving cancer is now conceptualized as a chronic disease, one logical question is, “What does the current literature on evidence-based evalua­tion and management of chronic illness tell us that we might apply to cancer?”