Congress Abstracts 2005

117

UTILIZING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH TO SUPPORT FOR THORACIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS. Keri Wagner, RN, OCN^®, and Richard Hara, PhD, MSSW, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

On the thoracic oncology medical/surgical unit patients expressed a feeling of inadequate preparation for discharge and a need for additional information. As a result, multidisciplinary psychosocial support groups for medical and surgical patient populations have been developed and implemented.

Literature shows that patients diagnosed with lung cancer often have a variety of fears. It is also known that information and discussion groups provide both education and support. Thoracic patients, and their family members, possess a variety of needs that can greatly differ depending on staging, illness trajectory, and psychosocial factors. Prior to the formation of the medical and surgical in-patient support groups, information was given by the different disciplines on multiple occasions.

The intent of the support groups was to better prepare patients for discharge and decrease patient fears. The groups were developed and implemented by the Nurse Clinician and Social Worker. This mix of professionals blends unique clinical knowledge and allows the patients to draw upon the experiences of both. The medical support group focus varies from signs and symptoms of disease, chemotherapy, treatment plans, discharge options, to palliative care. The surgical support group topics range from surgery issues, emotional and physical recovery, to discharge and follow-up. Patients in each group initiate conversations and topics and then are facilitated by the professionals.

The support groups have been in place for 3 years. Staff, patients, and families have found these groups to be informative and rewarding. Patients benefit not only from the staff but also are able to draw upon the experiences of other patients. As a result we have been able to identify common themes, screen patients for specific needs, direct patients to appropriate interventions, transition them from inpatient to outpatient services, and have decreased the number of follow-up phone calls to the ambulatory nurses.

Patients now verbalize better understanding of the information discussed, nurses are reporting easier discharges and a retrospective review of patient charts has shown a reduced in number of calls to the ambulatory setting.