Dear Navigators, Social Workers, Administrators, and Clinical Staff,
Fear and anxiety are unwelcome, although inevitable, occurrences in the initial phases of a cancer diagnosis and can certainly rear their ugly heads again and again along a patient’s journey. Further, they are notorious barriers to patients’ understanding, coping, and self-care decisions. To replace that stress with empowerment, patients require effective, evidence-based information regarding their diagnosis and treatment regimen delivered by a trusted healthcare professional. When provided appropriate, reliable education at critical times, patients gain a sense of control. Questions are replaced with answers. Stress is alleviated. And when these things happen, quality of life is improved.
To address these needs for patients with lung cancer, the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators was delighted to enter into a collaboration with Go2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, LUNGevity Foundation, Patient Advocate Foundation, and the National Minority Quality Forum. Through financial support from Takeda Oncology, these groups came together to form the Cancer Advocacy & Patient Education (CAPE) initiative. Its mission is to create a web-based library of evidence-based, best-practice information that healthcare providers can give to their patients and caregivers at each point of interaction and ultimately improve their quality of life.
The initial task of the CAPE initiative included a comprehensive literature scoping review. In this issue, the authors present their findings in the article “Physical, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual Well-being of Patients and Caregivers Following Lung Cancer Diagnosis: A Scoping Review.”
I encourage you to read this article in anticipation of the forthcoming launch of the CAPE library. We are truly enthusiastic about this initiative and its ability to help healthcare providers empower and educate lung cancer patients with the information they desire at their time of greatest need. I believe the CAPE library will be an indispensable resource for you—because every hero needs a CAPE.
Sincerely,
Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, ONN-CG
Editor-in-Chief, JONS, University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer, Professor of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Co-Developer of Work Stride: Managing Cancer at Work, Johns Hopkins Healthcare Solutions, Program Director and Co-Founder of AONN+
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