Barbara Tofani: Asking 2 Simple Questions Can Lead to Truly Patient-Centered Care

Asking 2 simple questions of all patients would give care coordinators all the information they need to provide truly patient-centered care, said Barbara Tofani, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, administrative director of the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.

Transcript

How can care coordinators ensure patient preferences are being taken into account?

I think we need to talk to the patients. We need to identify what are the barriers. We need required, any accredited cancer center is required, to do community needs assessments and look to see what: are the major issues in the community? But we need to drill that down to the patient level. And we need to be talking to patients and try to identify: what are the barriers to their care? What are their fears? What are their concerns? What do they need help with? And every patient needs to be looked at in their own unique set of circumstances. We can’t create that one-size-fits-all approach to care coordination.

So, it’s really talking to patients. What are your goals? And if we simply ask that 1 question—2 questions I guess: what are your goals of care? And how do we help you achieve those goals? If we asked every single patient at every visit those 2 questions, I think we would then have the information that we need from the patient to provide truly patient-centered care.