• Copyright © 2011 by American Society of Clinical Oncology

Cancer Survivorship Care Plans: What Can Be Learned From Hospital Discharge Summaries?

1. Larissa Nekhlyudov, MD, MPH⇓ and
2. Jeffrey L. Schnipper, MD, MPH

+ Author Affiliations

1. Harvard Medical School; Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women's Hospital; and Partners HealthCare, Boston, MA

1. Corresponding author: Larissa Nekhlyudov, MD, MPH, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 133 Brookline Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215; e-mail: larissa_nekhlyudov@vmed.org.

Abstract

The Institute of Medicine panel on cancer survivorship recommended that all patients with cancer and their primary care providers receive a written survivorship care plan that summarizes their initial treatment and provides guidance on post-treatment management. Cancer survivorship care plans aim to improve coordination of care and communication between providers as their patients transition from oncology to primary care settings. As such, survivorship care plans share similarities with hospital discharge summaries, focusing on improving the transition from inpatient to outpatient settings. In this article, we explore potential lessons that may be learned from hospital discharge summaries, which may be used to facilitate the development, implementation, and testing of survivorship care plans.

• Accepted June 28, 2011.

Cancer Survivorship Care Plans: What Can Be Learned From Hospital Discharge Summaries?