Educational materials are readily available from many sources for our medical facilities. Nurses can be trained to service only breast cancer patients and their families. There is no need for physician bashing in this area. Most are doing all they can with the amount of time and support they receive from the facilities in which they practice. We need to depend on them for the life and death issues and leave to us the patient teaching and support.
Healthcare reform requires the most cost-effective method of patient care.
In the area of support and education this requires that we train nurses and para-professionals to fill these roles. This is a problem that hospitals and clinics need to address. We need to take the responsibility to provide education and support for these patients and families. We need to provide them with the tools they need to maneuver treatment decisions, cope with side-effects of treatment, and build a better tomorrow for their family after the breast cancer experience. Patients and families feel frustrated and distressed by the general lack of awareness and understanding of the types of residual psychosocial difficulties they experience.