Jan 18, 2024
Phoebe Souza is the clinical lead for mental health at OncoHealth, a digital telehealth platform focusing on personalized oncology-specific support for patients with cancer and their caregivers. Advanced care planning is how individuals can communicate their wishes for care that aligns with their values. Phoebe highlights the role of healthcare providers, including oncologists, in initiating conversations about advanced directives to ensure patients understand their options. She emphasizes all individuals over 18 should document their desires for medical care in the event they are unable to do so themselves.
Phoebe explains, "Advanced care planning, also called ACP, is an umbrella term that includes both communication skills, so conversations with loved ones and a person's medical team, as well as completing documents such as an advanced directive, and that helps a person make plans about their future healthcare. An advanced directive and a care plan serve as a roadmap for medical providers and loved ones to ensure that an individual's wishes are honored if they are seriously ill and unable to communicate what they would want in terms of care."
"I think of the ACP as being appropriate for any person with any health status over the age of 18, and as humans, we live with vulnerability. It's great to be proactive about writing down and communicating the type of care that you would want, and you would not want in certain situations. It aligns with our values, and it's an act of care and a gift for those who would be making those decisions for us. Specifically, for individuals living with a serious illness, it's critical to think about what type of care aligns with what they imagine for them and aligns with their quality-of-life goals."
"OncoHealth, more broadly, is supporting different ways to support individuals and families who are living with both the emotional and physical symptoms of cancer. One aspect of that is working to empower individuals and families to think about how to advocate for their needs and their care while receiving cancer treatment. We offer, specifically looking at our mental health team, opportunities to work closely with a mental health therapist to explore the emotional side and empower those skills for communicating their needs to their medical team."
#OncoHealth #Healthcare #AdvancedCarePlanning #ACP #PatientEmpowerment #PatientCare #MentalHealth #Oncology #Cancer
