Learning you have cancer is a life-changing diagnosis. Even after the initial shock wears off, the gauntlet of medical care necessary to manage the disease can be overwhelming and confusing. At the Stanford Cancer Center, a new program that partners experienced nurses with newly diagnosed cancer patients aims to help the patients navigate the convoluted path their medical care can take.
A recent story in the Stanford Medicine Newsletter profiled Laura Birmingham, RN, (on the left, with cancer patient Sharron Brockman) and Vitale Battaglini, RN, who founded the new program. Birmingham coordinates care for patients with gynecological cancers and Battaglini works with head and neck cancer patients. They are the first people at the Stanford Cancer Center that patients meet and they stay in touch via phone calls, text messages and emails in between patient visits. The staff explained the benefits of a one-on-one program:
"Someone newly diagnosed doesn't know what to expect, and things that seem basic to us are new to them. Our job is to be their first and main point of contact," Battaglini said. "It's a reversal of the traditional nurse's role: We are the patient's nurse, not the doctor's nurse. And what the patient needs depends on that particular patient."
"Cancer care has become so complex because it involves so many subspecialties," said Julie Kuznetsov, director of the Cancer Patient Experience, who oversees the new program. "The field continues to evolve with new technologies and specialized expertise. While that means more options and better outcomes, for patients it has become more difficult to put the pieces together to coordinate their care."
In Birmingham’s words, “Our role is to act as an agent of change in terms of the patient experience.” There are about 18 patients in the program, but that number is expected to grow quickly.
Previously: Stanford researchers examine disparities in use of quality cancer centers and Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute discusses advances in cancer care and research
Photo by Norbert von der Groeben
