Emerging Models of Interprofessional Collaboration in Cancer Care.

OBJECTIVES: To present emerging models for oncology health professionals to consider when coordinating cancer care among professionals, beginning as early as initial professional education and training and continuing along the cancer continuum to include cancer treatment and psychosocial support. DATA SOURCES: Journal articles indexed on the National Library of Medicine database and personal communications with oncology colleagues.
CONCLUSION: Interprofessional collaboration is becoming increasingly important in the specialty of oncology. The complexity of new therapies and their associated side-effect profiles benefit from a collaborative, interprofessional approach to the care of the patient with cancer. Additionally, oncology patients can benefit from interprofessional collaboration across the complexities of the care continuum. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Oncology nurses are often in roles that can facilitate interprofessional collaboration, optimizing the care of patients with cancer.