By Admin at 7 Mar 2017, 16:08 PM
Many medical establishments are moving toward patient-centric care, which operates under the premise that the patients’ preferences and needs should take priority and guide all health care decisions. Despite its growing popularity, the term remains rather ambiguous and its importance and benefits are not well understood.
In honor of Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, we are shining the spotlight on a currently funded Gateway clinical trial that is taking a novel approach towards improving quality of life for patients undergoing stem cell transplants via patient-centric care. Specifically, the trial involves patients with leukemia/lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
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Dr. Nelson Chao, the Donald D. and Elizabeth G. Cooke cancer research professor at Duke University School of Medicine, and colleagues recently developed a cancer research clinical trial, with funding from Gateway for Cancer Research, to delve into how and why patient-centric care works, with groundbreaking results.
The trial involved patients who received a stem cell transplant as part of their cancer treatment. Recovery is a long and complex process, often requiring lengthy hospital stays and follow-up care from an outpatient clinic.
A more patient-centric option would be allowing patients to recover in the comfort of their own homes, and the researchers developed a trial to test whether this option was safe and beneficial for patients.
Patients in the study spent their post-transplant recovery either at home, with clinical care administered by specially trained transplant staff, or in a hospital or outpatient clinic.
Those allowed to recover at home had improved gut bacteria levels, which is indicative of less inflammatory pathology that could, in turn, translate to fewer life-threatening complications post-transplant. The home-care patients also enjoyed better appetites and improved quality of life compared to those in hospitals or outpatient clinics.
Dr. Chao wrote in Psychology Today:
“We [Duke University] were one of the first centers in the country to move the transplant experience out of hospital, so it only makes sense we’d lead the way and build on that experience to create a truly patient-centric experience at home.”
In the next phase of research, the team will study the outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplant patients living at home and being treated at home or, conversely, being treated at an outpatient clinic. The study will not only follow the patients’ experience in recovering at home but also that of their primary caregivers.
“Our standard of care model leans heavily on the support and buy-in of our patient’s caregivers, but the perceived burden of the patient’s care being delivered at home was not fully realized until we began to provide in-home care,” Dr. Chao said.
Still, the research suggests that, when possible, home care may be in the best interest of patients and exemplifies what patient-centric care is all about. Dr. Chao continued, “Seeing positive results, we recommend researchers emphasize patient-centric care because the outcomes are transformational when the patients are at the center of our work.”
Together, We Can Conquer Cancer in our Lifetime
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Gateway believes quality of life is as important as cancer response — for patients to feel better, even as they undergo treatment. With over 50 active clinical trials underway, Gateway is focused on research that effectively tailors cancer treatment to the unique biology, environment, and needs of each patient.
At Gateway, 99 cents of every dollar received directly funds Phase I and Phase II human clinical trials for all types of cancers, in all stages. It costs just $16.56 to fund one patient for one day in a Gateway funded cancer clinical trial... about the cost of a large pizza!
Be a Gateway and donate today - with your help, we can continue funding patient-centric research that provides better cancer care to patients now!
Source:
Psychology Today October 31, 2016
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Current Gateway-funded clinical trials
150+
Clinical trials funded at leading institutions worldwide
$16.56
Funds one patient for one day at a Gateway-funded clinical trial
