Communication Concerns When Transitioning to Cancer Survivorship Care

Abstract

Objectives: To discuss communication needs that relate to transitioning care for cancer survivors and strategies to facilitate patient-centered communication.

Data sources: National Cancer Institute monograph and peer reviewed articles related to survivorship and communication.

Conclusion: Key communication tasks in survivorship include managing uncertainty, exchanging information, and enabling self-management. These tasks inform assessment strategies and interventions in survivorship care planning. Communication training must target survivors and providers given the reciprocal and interactive nature of communication.

Implications for nursing practice: Implications for Nursing Practice: Nurses need to evaluate survivors' concerns and incorporate communication strategies in survivorship care planning to reduce distress and facilitate the exchange of information to improve referrals to supportive care resources.

Keywords: communication skills training; communication strategies; patient-centered communication; psychosocial concerns; survivorship care planning; transition of care.