Question

Offering Support

You are volunteering in an outpatient clinic in which patients come to receive their chemotherapy regimen. Your father died from cancer recently and you feel called to help others going through similar situations. You know what caused him the most discomfort and what was done to make him more comfortable. Mostly, you want you want offer a caring support system for those in need.

You are not a health care provider so will not be providing medical advice. You can share information from reputable sources and your clinic has given you the following resource:

Living with Cancer: The American Cancer Society provides helpful information for patients suffering from side effects from chemotherapy.

You receive a telephone call from the family member of a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy. They are very upset and feel their loved one is suffering. They have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, with mild pain and moderate restlessness.  The patient is stable, and has an appointment with the provider the next day but the office nurse has transferred her to you to provide support.

Outline what you will say to her.

Include the following aspects in the project:

·         From your readings you understand how chemotherapy works and why the side effects are what they are. How will you say this in laypersons language?

·         Expand on each side effect and what might make the patient more comfortable

·         What support might you give to the family member tasked with caring for a chemotherapy patient?

·         Consider how you will respond if the family member asks you how each medicine ordered to counter side effects work.

Answer 1