- Set your ground rules. Before exploring treatment options, establish some ground rules. Decide how much you want to know. ...
- Decide on a goal. Deciding what you want out of treatment can help you narrow your treatment choices. ...
- Research your treatment options. To make a reasonable treatment decision, keep in mind the type of cancer you have, its stage, and what treatment options are available and ...
- Analyze the benefits versus the risks. Compare the benefits and risks of the different cancer treatments to decide which treatments fall within your goals.
- Communicate with your doctor. Effective communication with your doctor is the best way to make sure you're getting the information you need to make an informed decision.
Full Answer
How do I choose the right treatment for me?
Communicate your preferences with your doctor. Keep the focus on you. Don't let yourself be pressured into a particular treatment option. Take your time and choose the option that you feel most comfortable with. Accept help. You'll need support throughout your treatment. Support can come from your doctor, your friends and your family.
What should I do if my doctor suggests a treatment?
If your doctor suggests a treatment that makes you uncomfortable, ask if there are other treatments that might work. If cost is a concern, ask the doctor if less expensive choices are available. The doctor can work with you to develop a treatment plan that meets your needs. Discuss different treatment choices.
How do I make my own treatment decisions?
Decide how you want to make your treatment decisions. You might want to take the lead in the decision-making process. Or you might want to turn all decisions over to your doctor. You might also be somewhere in the middle, sharing the decision process with your doctor. It may help to think about how you've handled difficult decisions in the past.
What makes a good treatment plan?
Every good treatment plan starts with a clear goal (or set of goals). Identify what your client would like to work on and write it down. Don't be scared of limiting your work, you can always adjust these as time goes on.
How do doctors decide which treatment?
Physicians would choose to treat when the probability of disease is above the threshold probability and would choose to withhold treatment otherwise[1, 2]. The threshold model stipulates that as the therapeutic benefit/harms ratio increases, the threshold probability at which treatment is justified is lowered.
What is a treatment decision?
Treatment decision making (TDM) is complex due to the varying decisions which have to be made about diagnosis, treatment options, toxicity, and outcomes of treatment. Shared decision making is complicated by the triadic relationship of parent/caregiver, child and clinician typical in pediatric care.
Do patients have the right to choose their treatment?
A patient's right to choose or refuse treatment is limited by the physician's right (and duty) to practice medicine responsibly. Bizarre or destructive choices made by a patient are not sacrosanct simply because the patient made them.
What are the 4 principles of informed consent?
There are 4 components of informed consent including decision capacity, documentation of consent, disclosure, and competency.
What must healthcare professionals do to help patients make decisions about their treatment?
Healthcare professionals must inform patients about advance directives and what types of treatments they may choose to accept or not accept. Copies of the advance directive (or its key points) must be in the patient's charts.
What do you call a person who makes medical decisions?
They are called “directives” because you are directing them about what you want done. In California, the part of an advance directive you can use to appoint an agent to make healthcare decisions is called a Power of Attorney for Health Care.
What are the seven 7 patient rights?
The charter outlined what every person could expect when receiving care and described seven fundamental rights including: access; safety; respect; partnership; information; privacy; and giving feedback. Its use was embedded in the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.
Why is patient choice important?
Patient choice is important, because it gives you control over our your health and the decisions related to your treatment.
What are the 5 patient rights?
One of the recommendations to reduce medication errors and harm is to use the “five rights”: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time.
What are the 5 basic ethical principles?
Moral Principles The five principles, autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity are each absolute truths in and of themselves.
What are the 7 ethical principles of health care?
What are the 7 principles of medical ethics? This approach – focusing on the application of seven mid-level principles to cases ( non-maleficence, beneficence, health maximisation, efficiency, respect for autonomy, justice, proportionality ) – is presented in this paper.
What are the 4 ethical principles in healthcare?
The four principles of Beauchamp and Childress - autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice - have been extremely influential in the field of medical ethics, and are fundamental for understanding the current approach to ethical assessment in health care.
What should I consider when making treatment decisions?
There are several things you will want to consider when making any treatment decision:
When making any treatment decision, should you consider the risks, benefits, and supporting evidence for the treatment?
In addition, you should consider if the treatment is compatible with your personal values and preferences and if it is accessible at a reasonable cost.
Are there any cautions with using holistic and conventional approaches together?
Realize that conventional and holistic approaches should not always be combined. Consider the following true story:
What is decision support tool?
A decision support tool will take into account both the quantitative and qualitative benefits of each outcome: it will consider the fact that a mastectomy will greatly lower the changes of getting breast cancer, but also how surgery might affect your self-esteem and feelings about your body.
What to do if you have high risk breast cancer?
You have several options. You could get extra checkups and do self-tests at home, or you could opt to have preemptive surgery. If you decide to get surgery, you could get a mastectomy, oophorectomy (a surgery to remove the ovaries), or both.
What is the foundation for informed medical decision making?
The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making is an organization that offers DVD and VHS-based decision support tools, which can be ordered from their website.
Is it important to consider the risks, benefits, and evidence together?
It is often helpful to consider the risks, benefits, and evidence together. For example, you may decide to pursue a course of treatment even if there is only a moderate amount of research for it but the potential benefits are high and the known risks are low. On the other hand, if the risk of a treatment is high and the benefit ...
How to make a reasonable treatment decision?
To make a reasonable treatment decision, keep in mind the type of cancer you have, its stage, what treatment options are available and how likely these treatments are to work under these circumstances. Talk to your doctor about trustworthy websites, books and patient education materials to supplement your discussions.
How to make a decision about cancer treatment?
Ask your doctor how much time you have to decide. Delaying your decision and spending time worrying about it can drain your energy, so don't draw out the process too long.
Why do you partner with your doctor?
Partnering with your doctor to make decisions about your cancer treatment may make you feel more confident as you begin your cancer treatment. Find out how to get involved.
What to ask your doctor about your health?
Your health in general. If you have other health conditions, ask your doctor how treatment will affect those conditions.
How to make sure you're getting the information you need to make an informed decision?
Effective communication with your doctor is the best way to make sure you're getting the information you need to make an informed decision. To make communicating with your doctor easier, try to: Speak up when you don't understand. If you need further explanation or clarification, tell your doctor.
How to keep track of what your doctor tells you?
Record your conversations. Try to keep track of what your doctor tells you by taking notes. You might also ask if it's OK to record the conversation. This record will be a good reference if you have questions later.
What to do if you don't feel supported?
If you don't feel supported in your decision-making, contact advocacy groups such as the American Cancer Society, which can put you in touch with cancer survivors who may be able to help you through this process. It might help to write down your expectations and preferences before you meet with your doctor.
What to remember when deciding on a treatment?
Here are some things to remember when deciding on a treatment: Discuss different treatment choices. There are different ways to manage many health conditions, especially chronic conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Ask what your options are. Discuss risks and benefits of treatment options.
What to do if your doctor suggests a treatment that makes you uncomfortable?
If your doctor suggests a treatment that makes you uncomfortable, ask if there are other treatments that might work. If cost is a concern, ask the doctor if less expensive choices are available. The doctor can work with you to develop a treatment plan that meets your needs.
How to keep track of your medical care?
Ask the specialist to send information about any diagnosis or treatment to your primary doctor. This allows your primary doctor to keep track of your medical care . You also should let your primary doctor know at your next visit how well any treatments or medications the specialist recommended are working.
How to help older people with physical health?
When you are making your list of things to talk about with your doctor, add exercise. Ask how exercise would benefit you, if there are any activities you should avoid, and whether your doctor can recommend any specific kinds of exercise.
What to ask a surgeon about an operation?
Ask the surgeon to explain what will be done during the operation and what reading material, videos, or websites you can look at before the operation.
Why do doctors suggest changing your diet?
Doctors and other health professionals may suggest you change your diet, activity level, or other aspects of your life to help you deal with medical conditions. Research has shown that these changes, particularly an increase in exercise, have positive effects on overall health.
What to say to a doctor about a medical condition?
For example, if the specialist says you have a medical condition that you aren’t familiar with, you may want to say something like: “I don’t know much about that condition. Could you explain what it is and how it might affect me?” or “I’ve heard that is a painful problem. What can be done to prevent or manage the pain ?”
What are some examples of treatment populations?
Examples of different treatment populations include: children. seniors. couples. survivors of abuse. transgender people. people with drug addiction. ethnic minorities. Of course, there are many different populations that you can work with.
What is the right setting for a therapy session?
While it may seem there are myriad settings to choose from, the right setting will be dictated by how you want to work with people. The office space or location you choose will depend largely on whether you choose to specialize in couples counseling or family counseling, individual or group therapy, or to implement dance, movement, art, or animal-assisted therapy sessions.
How many different models of therapy are there?
There are hundreds of different models of therapy available to help treat the many unique mental health conditions that bring people into therapy. Some of these therapy models and theories have been widely used and studied in the professional field, while others may be lesser known or emerging to meet the needs of specific populations. As a therapist, it's important to decide which theories and therapy practices you wish to incorporate into your practice and gain adequate training to use them effectively. It is common for therapists to utilize more than one type of therapy in their counseling practice.
Why is it important to be a therapist?
As a therapist, it's important to decide which theories and therapy practices you wish to incorporate into your practice and gain adequate training to use them effectively. It is common for therapists to utilize more than one type of therapy in their counseling practice.
Why do people seek therapy?
There are also many people who seek therapy because they need help navigating everyday life transitions such as getting older, graduating college, or ending a relationship, and therapists can play an invaluable role in helping people navigate the complexities of relating to others and living in a modern world.
What is the best way to become an ethical therapist?
Therapy Models, Theories, and Practices. While graduate programs in counseling and psychology will teach you the general skills and knowledge needed to become an ethical therapist, most therapists will seek additional, specialized training in specific therapy models or practices.
Is there a career path for a therapist?
There is no single career path that fits all therapists, and few therapists treat every issue and every population. If you have an idea about the people with whom you would like to work or the issues you would like to address as a therapist, this can help guide your graduate school choices, coursework, internships, and other career preparations.
What are the treatments for cancer?
These options may include: Surgery. Radiation therapy. Chemotherapy. Hormone therapy. Targeted therapy. Immunotherapy. Active surveillance, also called watchful waiting.
What is palliative care?
He or she may also use palliative care, also called supportive care, to manage symptoms and side effects. Make sure your doctor explains the goals of your treatment plan and how it will affect you. And make sure it aligns with your personal goals for treatment.
What happens after cancer diagnosis?
After a cancer diagnosis, people with cancer and their families have to make a number of decisions about treatment. These decisions are complicated by feelings of anxiety, unfamiliar words, statistics, and a sense of urgency. But unless the situation is extremely urgent, take time to research your options, ask questions, ...
Can you get a second opinion from another oncologist?
Many people seek a second or even third opinion from another oncologist, and many doctors encourage it. Different oncologists may have different experiences with various treatments. So seeking multiple opinions can help you make a decision or confirm your current treatment plan. First check with your insurance company to find out if your policy covers a specific doctor or health care system.
Is cancer care expensive?
The cost of cancer care is often high, and you may have expenses that you were not expecting. Your health care team can help you identify costs related to your treatment options or suggest ways to manage medical and related costs.
How to start a treatment plan?
Every good treatment plan starts with a clear goal (or set of goals). Identify what your client would like to work on and write it down. Don't be scared of limiting your work, you can always adjust these as time goes on. However, it's helpful to write down and discuss what your client's purpose is for starting therapy.
What is treatment planning?
Treatment planning isn't something you do at the first or second session and then forget about. It's an integral part of the counseling process. It's a clinical discussion that's simply put on paper to provide a clear outline and clearer understanding of the direction in which you plan to go.
What makes therapy more effective?
A couple things we know for sure- 1) talking with clients about progress makes therapy more effective and meaningful for clients and 2) most ethical guidelines state that a therapist or counselor should have a treatment plan in mind while working with clients.
Why is it important to have a clear goal?
Having a clear goal makes sure everyone is on the same page and keeps you both accountable to focusing on what is necessary. It also helps your client to feel like therapy is something that is more than esoteric, something they could describe to a spouse or family member, if desired. 2. Active participation.
Is therapy hard work?
Therapy is often hard work but can have amazing results. However, success is 100% dependent on the client's motivation and willingness to engage in the process. 3. Support. Another aspect of treatment planning that is so often forgotten in private practice settings is the client's support system.
What type of cancer needs to be treated right away?
You have a type of cancer that needs to be treated right away, like some leukemias, lymphomas, and certain other cancers that tend to be aggressive (grow and spread very fast). You have a tumor that's pressing on an organ or other vital part of the body, and treatment is needed to relieve the pressure.
Do you need to make adjustments before starting treatment?
You want more time to get a second opinion. It's important to know each person's case is different.
Can you wait to get lab results back?
You are waiting to get lab results back that will help decide what treatment option is best. You have already had surgery to remove a tumor, and you need time to recover before starting more treatment. You need to make adjustments at home, work, or for child care before starting treatment.
Does cancer need to be started right away?
Does cancer treatment always need to be started right away? Sometimes, it's important to start treatment as quickly as possible, but that's not always the case. Planning cancer treatment can be complex and might take some time, depending on the type and stage of your cancer.
