What to look for in a cancer care hospital? Listed below are some things to consider: Oncology team, Ambulatory procedures, Specialized training for oncologists, and Cancer imaging. In addition, make sure to read our article on Oncology physicians’ credentials. These professionals will be on your cancer care team and be an important part of your treatment. Also, be sure to choose a cancer center that is covered by your insurance.
Oncology team
The oncology team at a cancer care hospital includes a multidisciplinary group of medical professionals who specialize in the treatment of cancer patients. The team includes nurses, social workers, and volunteer patient navigators. Together, they create individualized treatment plans to meet the needs of each patient. Oncology nurse navigators are an important member of the team who help patients navigate the cancer care process. They are trained to offer guidance and coordination of care to patients and family members, and they are often called patient educators or navigators.
The oncology team at a cancer care hospital works together to develop a treatment plan for a particular type of cancer. Several types of oncologists may be on the team. Radiation oncologists focus on the effects of radiation on cancer cells, while medical oncologists use medications to treat cancer. The team may also include other types of health care professionals, such as social workers, pharmacists, and dermatologists.
Ambulatory procedures
Ambulatory procedures are planned surgical procedures that are not expected to require a hospital stay. Surgical volumes, changes in trends, and patient experience surveys all require comparisons of ambulatory procedures and inpatient surgeries. The use of ambulatory procedures is increasing because it provides an alternative to hospitalization for many surgical procedures. However, it must be noted that this type of surgery is only appropriate for patients with few, if any, preexisting conditions and low risk of postoperative complications.
Ambulatory procedures in cancer care hospitals include the following services. The most common ambulatory procedures include radiology, chemotherapy, and surgery. Outpatient cancer care can reduce the cost of hospitalization. Patients are able to stay home and get the quality of care that they need without being admitted to the hospital. The center offers a variety of procedures, including oncologic home-hospitalization (OHH).
Imaging for cancer patients
In developing countries, imaging is one of the most important components of cancer care. It plays a critical role in the detection and spread of cancer, as well as providing information on its biology. However, in developing countries, the skills of radiologists, and even the availability of appropriate imaging equipment, are severely limited. A shortage of oncology imagers exacerbates this problem. For these reasons, oncology imaging is crucial to high-quality cancer care in all regions of the world.
However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer imaging was particularly significant, with utilization levels not recovering to pre-pandemic levels until 2020. Moreover, the impact of the pandemic is not uniform across cancer stages, types of hospitals, and cancer care facilities. In particular, it may have significantly affected imaging in community hospitals. Hence, future studies should focus on identifying whether or not COVID-19 has affected cancer care in the United States.
Specialized training for oncologists
The shortage of oncologists globally is well documented, yet few studies have investigated the characteristics of current oncology training. This study used an online survey to survey physicians in 57 countries across three income groups, LMIC, UMIC, and HIC. The results indicate that approximately 33% of all cancer care physicians in the participating countries have completed specialized training. The survey also showed that 60% of these physicians are practicing physicians and 40% are trainees.
Oncologists’ experiences with their specialty training were also examined. Respondents were asked whether they completed training and why. The research conducted by ST and SDL was independent of each other. Both researchers independently read the survey transcripts and determined the final categorization. The study is one of the first to address this major deficiency. The global oncology community must take steps to address this gap and make this a priority.
Publicly supported cancer centers
Publicly supported cancer centers provide many components of cancer control. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that each country establish at least one publicly supported cancer center. These institutions strive to improve cancer control worldwide by providing exceptional patient care in an appropriate environment and by focusing specialized technical and human resources. While public support for cancer centers is essential, some LMICs have difficulty achieving this goal. In such a setting, the focus of public support is on advancing the broader goals of cancer control.
PPS-exempt cancer centers have characteristics similar to NCI-CCs and PPS-exempt hospitals. These hospitals are largely urban institutions and have higher reputation scores than their NCI-CC affiliated hospitals. However, reputation scores are subjective. While US News & World Report and other rating organizations use reputation scores to evaluate cancer care centers, they do not necessarily reflect hospital quality. In some cases, reputation may be a proxy for specific characteristics.