Underpinning the approach to patient care should be a biopsychosocial philosophical model that assumes illness is not only a biological phenomenon but also a psychological and social one. In addition, and most importantly, this model must underpin transitions through varying goals of care and foci of treatment. Routine and comprehensive biopsychosocial evaluation performed by a trained member of the health care team, preferably a medical social worker or a clinical nurse specialist should complement the physician's efforts so as to begin the planning of a strategy of care. For the assessment of the overall goals of care, it is imperative that the treating clinician be cognizant of the need to guide the patient through the varying options for care based on the balance between disease status, treatment possibilities, patient and family goals and their interpretation of quality of life parameters. It is essential that this assessment be routine because many changes will occur over time in the patient's and family's goals of care, and in the family's willingness and ability to care for the patient.
Reassessment is essential for successful home care, medical compliance, and stress management.
A new prescription for family health care. PDQ statements exist for a number of topics. Please consult the PDQ Index . This document is also available in a text-only format . The information provided through OncoLink should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease.