Survivorship

Our clinic is struggling when to schedule survivorship appointments. Can anyone tell me how they handle making sure survivorship appointments get scheduled?

Hi Melissa,
Here are a few resources from AONN+ that may help.

1) Transition to Survivorship at www.jons-online.com/issues/2018/july-201...tion-to-survivorship
2) Beyond “C”: A Nurse Navigator–Led Education Project to Increase Survivorship Referrals and Cancer Survivorship Attendance at www.jons-online.com/issues/2023/october-...-end-of-life-2023#H1
3) Successfully Transitioning Patients from Treatment to Lifetime Clinic at www.jons-online.com/issues/2019/november...t-to-lifetime-clinic
4) CANCER SURVIVORSHIP E-LEARNING SERIES at cme.smhs.gwu.edu/gw-cancer-center-/conte...ip-e-learning-series
5) New Resource: NCCN Survivorship Guidelines at aonnonline.org/navigation-and-survivorsh...vivorship-guidelines
6) Measuring Patient-Centered Cancer Survivorship Care at aonnonline.org/navigation-and-survivorsh...er-survivorship-care

I am fortunate to have a ARNP who heads up the survivorship clinic where I work. She tells me that the appointments need to be made no longer than 3 months out. She will call the patient and set up appointment. She then will go over the tx plan with the patient and then provide them with take home instructions. She lets them know when the follow-ups need to be made such as imaging if recommended, when to see surgeon and etc. She explains doing self-exams for all patients with breast cancer. She will then send a copy to the PCP and Medical Oncology office. When I first meet a patient, I explained that once they have completed their care, I will transfer them to survivorship. Once pt has completed I make sure to speak with them and remind them of survivorship and then advise the APRN.

Melissa - our survivorship program started in 2012. When we first opened we saw patients for their survivorship care plan visit at the end of their treatment, along with the NP or MD, social worker, and dietician. We learned from feedback from the patients they wished they knew about our support services available to them at the beginning of treatment. We changed our visits to Integrative Oncology Survivorship visits and try to see patients within cycle 1-2 of chemotherapy or whatever their treatment may be. They can see us as many times as they like. We ended up moving the survivorship care plan portion to the medical offices where they see their primary oncologist and either the physician or NP delivers the care plan at end of treatment with all the recommended follow-up care, timelines, etc. In the breast health clinic for those seen for early stage cancers or limited treatment needed, a nurse navigator prepares and delivers the SCP, then calls in a few weeks to ask if they have any questions that has risen in the interim.