Joanne S. Buzaglo, PhD

Family caregivers are integral to patient care in oncology, including attending appointments in which care options are discussed or decisions are made. The involvement of caregivers in oncology care will only increase as practice recommendations and policies are encouraging their inclusion. Yet, we do not fully understand the treatment decision-making (TDM) dynamics between patients and their caregivers or the capacity among caregivers to make care decisions. Further, caregivers' communication with a patient or healthcare team (HCT) remains underexplored in understanding shared decision-making.

The authors present their findings on a study addressing interventions that foster patient-clinician communication and referral for services related to both financial need and psychosocial distress to ensure optimal adherence to CML therapy.