Patients and their families face complex decisions regarding cancer care and therapies. The rapid evolution of immunotherapy has highlighted how critical it is for clinical teams to conduct skilled conversations that bridge such complex tasks as communicating risk, discussing prognosis , ascertaining & prioritising patients goals, wishes and preferences and how this is brought together with skilled shared-decision-making (SDM).
This is often in a setting of strong emotions with a degree of uncertainty related to complex information provision. Skills to build trust and individualise care with our diverse community has never been more important.
This presentation will outline the key skills that minimise prognostic discordance, ensure there is goal-concordant care, maximise SDM and improve understanding & recall of clinical information. All these tasks are often performed in time-pressured environments, so it is critical that clinicians have the skills to maximise their time efficiency without diminishing the therapeutic relationship.
An understanding of the emerging evidence regarding these issues and how to equip our cancer workforce with the requisite skills and theoretical frameworks will be of benefit to the community, the clinical workforce and our pressured health system.