Greater care in the community will lead to the geographic dispersal of psychiatric services and the role of communications technology will become increasingly important. McLaren et al (1991) described the potential role for new communications technology, such as interactive television, in the provision of psychiatric services but before resorting to new communications technology it will be important to ensure that full use is being made of existing technology such as the telephone. The telephone is widely used in the UK health service but poorly understood, in contrast to the USA where it has been recognised as an important medium for care delivery (Hallam, 1989). This pilot study was designed to gather information on the current role of the telephone in an acute psychiatric service and to aid the planning of the use of more advanced communications technology such as interactive television.
AbstractPathology and its laboratories are central in support of every facet of cancer care in a CCC center, from diagnosis, to patient support during treatment, research, therapeutic drug manufacture and development and bio-banking.We have approached this discussion from the perspective of the timeline of a patient’s journey through cancer care. We begin with screening programs, high quality diagnostics and then maintaining quality supportive cancer care. Specialised services such as cellular therapies and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with their unique requirements are considered and lastly we discuss the vital role of clinical trials and research in comprehensive cancer care with a focus on biobanks.We also examine the role of the diagnostic laboratories and their clinical and scientific staff in shaping an integrated cancer diagnostic report, as an integral part of a cancer Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) or “Tumour Board”. Increasingly, integration of a large amount of clinical data, laboratory results and interpretation of complex molecular and genomic datasets is required to underpin the role of CCC’s as centres of clinical excellence and to collaborate with partners in local, national and international research protocols.
Many family physicians do not view coordinating patients' supportive cancer care as a primary responsibility and do not wish to assume this role. Models involving them as team members in care coordination are more feasible for reducing patient need.
The Potential Role of Symptom Questionnaires in Palliative and Supportive Cancer Care Delivery
