Nurses are matched to participants by race and gender. The same nurse delivers the calls to a patient throughout the intervention. Calls average about 15-20 minutes. Mishel said the program is individualized to the patient. And much of what we do is to provide answers to questions, give people information, but we also give them resources.
Patients receive a cancer dictionary that has words like 'metastases' spelled out and defined.
So when they hear these words from a primary health-care provider, they'll know what they mean. Patients are instructed to generate a list of questions and monitor themselves for symptoms. We teach patients the words to use to get the health-care provider's attention, how to phrase the problem to avoid being triaged out by the office nurse. Patients show an improved ability to communicate their concerns to health providers, including doctors and nurses. In the localized prostate cancer study, those receiving the intervention reported improved control over urine flow and increased satisfaction with sexual relationships.