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Caring for the whole patient: the Institute of Medicine proposes a new standard of care
On October 23, 2007, the Institute of Medicine (IoM) issued a report entitled “Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs.” The report, available online at www.iom.edu, proposes a new standard of care under which “all oncology care providers would systematically screen patients for distress and other problems; connect patients with health care or service providers who have resources to tackle these issues and coordinate care with these professionals; and periodically re-evaluate patients to determine if any changes in care are needed.” To that end, the IoM recommends an evidence-based model that would ensure psychosocial health services are integrated into cancer care and provides specific steps to implement this model, across settings where resources may vary.
| Commun Oncol 2007;4:748–751 | full text |  89 kb |