Cancer Nurses Can Bridge the Gap Between the Specialist Cancer Care and Primary Care Settings to Facilitate Shared-Care Models (Editorial)

Abstract

With advances in anticancer treatment, overall survival rates have dramatically improved over recent years. The global overall cancer mortality rate is reducing by 1% each year.1 In 2012, the estimated number of people living who had been diagnosed as having cancer within the preceding 5 years was 32.6 million.2 Cancer survivors, however, experience a wide range of biopsychosocial late effects and impaired quality of life from their cancer diagnosis and treatment, often in the context of comorbid conditions.3,4 For many countries, the acute cancer care system is not the most ideal setting to meet the long-term needs of cancer survivors with multiple chronic conditions and other psychosocial problems.5 Ensuring best outcomes and efficient use of resources by implementing patient-centered integration between the acute and primary care system is the hallmark of high-quality care and a well-functioning and sustainable health system.5 The 2005 Institute of Medicine seminal report, From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Translation,5 emphasizes the importance of effective care coordination between specialists (eg, oncologists, cancer nurses) and primary care providers (PCPs). Successful partnership between specialists and PCPs is likely to lead to increased patient convenience, reduced costs, reduced burden on specialists, and greater continuity of care.6,7