Cancer patient-centered home care: a new model for health care in oncology

Abstract

Patient-centered home care is a new model of assistance, which may be integrated with more traditional hospital-centered care especially in selected groups of informed and trained patients. Patient-centered care is based on patients’ needs rather than on prognosis, and takes into account the emotional and psychosocial aspects of the disease. This model may be applied to elderly patients, who present comorbid diseases, but it also fits with the needs of younger fit patients. A specialized multidisciplinary team coordinated by experienced medical oncologists and including pharmacists, psychologists, nurses, and social assistance providers should carry out home care. Other professional figures may be required depending on patients’ needs. Every effort should be made to achieve optimal coordination between the health professionals and the reference hospital and to employ shared evidence-based guidelines, which in turn guarantee safety and efficacy. Comprehensive care has to be easily accessible and requires a high level of education and knowledge of the disease for both the patients and their caregivers. Patient-centered home care represents an important tool to improve quality of life and help cancer patients while also being cost effective.

Active home-based cancer treatment

“…Home-based cancer treatment represent a new model of care that can include active assistance of patients treated with oral, subcutaneous, and even intravenous agents (chemotherapy or biologics). 27 Implementation of the Active Home Care project has resulted in a noticeable improvement in quality of life of patients treated with home-based oral chemotherapy, allowing continuation of the treatment program to be fully accepted and shared by both patients and the family members who care for them. The project has significantly reduced the number of hospital visits made by patients and their carers, resulting in a reduction of both direct and indirect costs, thus improving the cost-effectiveness of public spending.…”

Moving cancer care closer to home: a single-centre experience of home chemotherapy administration for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

“…National Health Service white paper in 2010 focused on extending choice for patients and moving cancer services away from major cancer centres when feasible. Key driver for community chemotherapy is improved patient choice and experience 4 5. In this article, we explain our community chemotherapy initiative project and our experiences so far.…”

Merging current healthcare trends: innovative perspective in aging care

“…To do so, predictive software applications are included in the system based on a combination of mathematical and statistical approaches: Mathematical approach: This quantifies the observation that the characteristics of biological processes that regulate physiological responsiveness and maintenance of stability are based on the patients’ genetic, physiological, psychological, and social background. 34 Physiological resilience and adaptation may be represented in terms of chaos theory as two attractors for the dynamics of physiological regulation. Resilience mechanisms are suggested to help to protect an organism from short-term system perturbations and long-term overadaptation and to balance biological, psychological, and social arousing effects in interaction with adaptation mechanisms.…”

“… 19 , 20 Providing home-based services appears to improve symptoms; saves costs to health services; reduces hospitalization; preserves patients’ preferences, autonomy, and medication adherence; increases practitioners’ satisfaction; and makes better use of psychosocial support. 1 , 34 , 35 Good examples are the home-based reablement (intense rehabilitation) practices, successfully expanded in different countries. 36 Psychosocial health promotion, centered on the patients’ personal and social resources.…”