In recent years the role of the Lung Cancer Nurse has developed and these are nurses who specialise in caring for patients with a diagnosis of lung cancer. They can help you at any stage of your cancer journey, but they will try to meet you around the time of your diagnosis. When you meet your Lung Cancer Nurse coordinator, they will want to discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing, and how you and your family are coping with your diagnosis. The types of things the CNC will be able to do for you:
- Provide emotional and social support to you and your family
- Provide information on your diagnosis and treatments. That may be in the form of reputable websites to visit, printed leaflets or booklets.
- Provide continuity in care, with less traditional boundaries and prompt referral to other members of the multi-disciplinary team
- Assist with improved communication between the healthcare teams and yourself
- Answer questions you may have regarding any part of your care and treatment pathway
- Assist you through the healthcare system and help you to find the most appropriate services to help you and your family
During the course of your cancer journey you will meet many different specialists, and this can be very confusing. Some of the common specialists are: respiratory doctors (they specialize in the care of lungs), medical oncology (prescribe chemotherapy and may offer the patients the opportunity of participating in clinical trials), radiation oncologist (deliver radiation treatment), cardiothoracic surgeon (specializes in operating on lungs), palliative care doctors and team. You may also be asked to visit some of the allied health care team such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers.
The allied health specialists involved in the care of people with lung cancer that the coordinator works closely with are:
- Physiotherapists who can help with posture, exercise and breathing techniques,
- Occupational Therapist who assist in keeping the patients functioning well at home by providing the correct equipment and energy saving techniques to do so.
- Social Worker who provides both counseling and supportive care and help navigate the social services.
- Dietician who offers expert advice regarding nutrition.
- Pharmacist
Sometimes it may be necessary for you to stay in hospital, but a lot of the treatments can be given to patients in the outpatients setting. This means you may need to come into the hospital to have your treatment or see a doctor but will not have to stay overnight. The Lung Cancer Nurse coordinator works closely with all these members of the healthcare team including your GP, and can explain what these specialists do and act as a link between them. Where possible, the coordinator will try to assist you receiving your treatment as close to home as is safely possible, and try to minimize the number of journeys into the hospital.
- Central to ensuring that lung cancer patients and their carers understand the complexities of their care;
- Pivotal to the flow of timely, appropriate information within the lung cancer Multi-disciplinary Team and between primary, secondary and tertiary care.
- Readily accessible to the patients and carers and all members of the health care team.
